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“While the decrease in daily cigarette smoking among persons with MHSUP [mental health or substance use problem] is promising, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among persons with MHSUP remained very high,” wrote Andrea H. Weinberger, Ph.D., of Yeshiva University in New York and colleagues. The authors found the prevalence of cigarette smoking among people with mental health and substance use problems in 2014 was more than twice that of those without these problems.
Weinberger and colleagues analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2005 and 2014, comparing current, daily, and nondaily cigarette smoking among adults with and without any MHSUP. Individuals who reported experiencing past-year major depressive episode, serious psychological stress, substance use disorders, alcohol use disorders, heavy alcohol use, or daily cannabis use were classified as having a MHSUP. People with a history of smoking who smoked cigarettes 1 to 29 days of the previous 30 days were classified as nondaily smokers, while those who smoked 30 of the previous 30 days were classified as daily smokers.
The prevalence of nondaily cigarette smoking increased from 29.54% in 2005 to 33.73% in 2014 among people with MHSUP. In contrast, nondaily smoking declined among people without these disorders from 29.13% in 2005 to 27.43% in 2014. The prevalence of daily smoking declined significantly over the same period among individuals in both groups (from 29.42% to 24.21% among people with MHSUP; from 13.48% to 10.21% among people without MHSUP).
“When patients enter treatment for MHSUP, it provides an opportunity to identify smokers (nondaily and daily) and provide cessation treatment options,” Weinberger and colleagues wrote.
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Could FDA’s Proposed Plan Help Smokers With Mental Disorders Quit For Good?”
(Image: iStock/Mac99)
