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Tobacco Smoking Rates Decrease Among Those With Major Depression, SUD
Tobacco smoking rates among US adults with major depression and/or substance use disorder (SUD) declined from 2006 to 2019 at a more precipitous rate than among those without major depression and/or SUD, according to data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The findings, which were published this week in JAMA, suggest that groups at high risk for cigarette smoking can be reached by tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts. While such efforts have been effective, NIDA researchers noted that individuals with psychiatric disorders still reported higher smoking rates than those without, although the gap has narrowed.
“This study shows us that, at a population-level, reductions in tobacco use are achievable for people with psychiatric conditions, and smoking cessation should be prioritized along with treatments for substance use, depression, and other mental health disorders for people who experience them,” NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD, co-author of the study, said in a news release.
“Therapies to help people stop smoking are safe, effective, and may even enhance the long-term success of concurrent treatments for more severe mental health symptoms in individuals with psychiatric disorders by lowering stress, anxiety, depression, and by improving overall mood and quality of life.”
The NIDA study included an analysis of data from more than 558,000 individuals at least 18 years of age who participated in National Surveys on Drug Use (NSDUH) between 2006 and 2019. While individuals with major depression, SUD, or both were found to be more likely to smoke cigarettes, cessation rates among these populations improved during the period studied.
For adults with a past-year major depressive episode, past-month smoking rates declined by 13.1% from 2006 to 2019 (the decline was 8.2% for those without a major depressive episode). Meanwhile, past-month cigarette smoking declined by 10.9% for those with a past-year SUD and 7.8% for those without. For those with co-occurring major depression and SUD, past-month smoking rates declined by 13.7% compared to 7.6% among those without the co-occurring disorders.
Dr Volkow called the findings “a public health success story.”
“It is crucial that healthcare providers treat all the health issues that a patient experiences, not just their depression or drug use disorder at a given point in time,” she said. “To do this, smoking cessation therapies need to be integrated into existing behavioral health treatments. The result will be longer and healthier lives for all people.”
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