A prospective study of the impact of smoking on outcomes in bipolar and schizoaffective disorder

Dodd, Seetal; Brnabic, Alan J.M.; Berk, Lesley; Fitzgerald, Paul B.; de Castella, Anthony R.; Filia, Sacha; Filia, Kate; Kelin, Katarina; Smith, Meg; Montgomery, William; Kulkarni, Jayashri; Berk, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2009.12.001

« Previous Next »Comprehensive Psychiatry
Volume 51, Issue 5 , Pages 504-509, September 2010

A prospective study of the impact of smoking on outcomes in bipolar and schizoaffective disorder

Seetal Dodd
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Barwon Health, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 3 5226 7666; fax: +61 3 5246 5165.
Alan J.M. Brnabic
- Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd, West Ryde NSW 2114, Australia
Lesley Berk
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Barwon Health, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
- Orygen Research Centre, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
- Barwon Health and the Geelong Clinic, Swanston Centre, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
Paul B. Fitzgerald
- Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Anthony R. de Castella
- Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Sacha Filia
- Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Kate Filia
- Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Katarina Kelin
- Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd, West Ryde NSW 2114, Australia
Meg Smith
- School of Applied Social and Human Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South NSW 2750, Australia
William Montgomery
- Eli Lilly Australia Pty Ltd, West Ryde NSW 2114, Australia
Jayashri Kulkarni
- Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University, School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Michael Berk
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Barwon Health, The University of Melbourne, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
- Orygen Research Centre, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
- Barwon Health and the Geelong Clinic, Swanston Centre, PO Box 281, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
- The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia

published online 22 February 2010.

Abstract

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.

Method

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.