“PREVALENCE OF NICOTINE USE AND DEPENDENCE AMONG DEPRESSED PATIENTS”
Main Article Content
Keywords
Depression, Nicotine use, Nicotine dependence, Smoking, Psychiatric patients, Prevalence
Abstract
Background: Depression is one of the common psychiatric disorders that is often accompanied by the presence of substances, especially nicotine. People with depressive disorders tend to start smoking and continue to do so more often than others, which results in higher nicotine dependence and worsened mental health status. Although there is an increasing amount of research evidence on this relationship, data on hospital patients in developing countries are always scarce.
Objective: To determine the extent of nicotine use and dependence in patients with depressive disorders.
Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Avicenna Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, in the duration from May 2025 to October, 2025. In total, 180 patients, at least 18 years old, with a diagnosis of depression verified, were recruited by a consecutive sampling method. A structured proforma was used to gather socio-demographic and clinical information from patients. Patients self-reported their smoking status, and their nicotine dependence level was measured through the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis.
Results: Among the 180 patients with depression, 104 (57.8%) were nicotine users. Most of these users (71.2%) preferred cigarette smoking as their nicotine source. About 41.3% of nicotine users demonstrated moderate dependence, and 33.7% showed high dependence. Patients who were male and had a longer period of depressive illness exhibited stronger nicotine dependence.
Conclusion: Nicotine abuse and dependence are very common among individuals suffering from depression. It is essential for psychiatric services to regularly check up on and properly treat nicotine dependence to help this delicate group of patients see better health and enjoy a higher quality of life.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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Dr Asif Hussain
Senior Registrar Psychiatry, Avicenna Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Email: [email protected]
Dr Aamir Aziz
Clinical Research Fellow (CONTROL - NIHR), Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), KMU
Email: [email protected]
Dr Muhammad Imran Khan
Specialist Registrar, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) Peshawar
Email: [email protected]
