title: Electronic cigarette use in patients with schizophrenia: Prevalence and attitudes.
abstract: Smoking is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are becoming increasingly popular among smokers. Surveys indicate overall favorable attitudes toward the use of e-cigarettes to reduce or quit smoking, relieve withdrawal symptoms, and with respect to perceived health risks; however, less is known about their use in patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of and attitudes toward e-cigarettes in patients with schizophrenia.
  
  
  
  Sixty inpatients and outpatients age 18 to 70 with schizophrenia completed a brief survey on e-cigarette use.
  
  
  
  Thirty-seven percent of participants reported having tried e-cigarettes, 24% of never-users were considering use, and 7% were current users. Thirty-four percent of surveyed patients believed that the health effects of e-cigarettes were less harmful than regular cigarettes. Health benefits (39%), cutting down (37%), and quitting smoking (37%) were the most frequently cited potential advantages, whereas cost (33%) was the most common potential disadvantage of e-cigarettes. Participants who were ever-users reported that regular cigarettes were significantly more helpful with reducing symptoms such as depression/anxiety, impaired concentration, and paranoia, than e-cigarettes (P < .05 for each).
  
  
  
  These preliminary findings should be investigated in larger samples, but suggest that e-cigarettes have, at best, modest relevance to smoking cessation in patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Augusta University Augusta, GA, USA. E-mail: brmiller@augusta.edu.
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paletta
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Buckley
mesh_terms: D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012559:Schizophrenia; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires