A prospective study of the impact of smoking on outcomes in bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.
BACKGROUND
Tobacco smoking is more prevalent among people with mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder, than in the general community. Most data are cross-sectional, and there are no prospective trials examining the relationship of smoking to outcome in bipolar disorder. The impact of tobacco smoking on mental health outcomes was investigated in a 24-month, naturalistic, longitudinal study of 240 people with bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder.


METHODS
Participants were interviewed and data recorded by trained study clinicians at 9 interviews during the study period.


RESULTS
Comparisons were made between participants who smoked daily (n = 122) and the remaining study participants (n = 117). During the 24-month study period, the daily smokers had poorer scores on the Clinical Global Impressions-Depression (P = .034) and Clinical Global Impressions-Overall Bipolar (P = .026) scales and had lengthier stays in hospital (P = .012), compared with nonsmokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking status was determined by self-report. Nicotine dependence was not measured.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that smoking is associated with poorer mental health outcomes in bipolar and schizoaffective disorder.
Dodd
Seetal
S
Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Barwon Health, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia.
Brnabic
Alan J M
AJ
Berk
Lesley
L
Fitzgerald
Paul B
PB
de Castella
Anthony R
AR
Filia
Sacha
S
Filia
Kate
K
Kelin
Katarina
K
Smith
Meg
M
Montgomery
William
W
Kulkarni
Jayashri
J
Berk
Michael
M
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology