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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by jrbecker on March 9, 2005, at 10:38:58
http://www.medwire.md/News_single.aspx?newstype=3&date=20050309&story_id=33297
Current smoking increases suicide risk
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005; 62: 328–334
Current smokers appear to be at an increased risk of subsequent suicidal behavior, say US investigators, although the same is not true for former smokers.
The team, led by Naomi Breslau from Michigan State University in East Lansing, says that "recent observations of lower monoamine oxidase activity MAO, which may play a role in central nervous system serotonin metabolism, in current smokers but not ex-smokers might provide clues," to the mechanism underlying the relationship, but further study is needed.
To investigate the link between cigarette smoking and suicide further, Breslau and co-workers studied data for 889 individuals aged between 21 and 30 years who were initially interviewed in 1989 and again in 1992, 1994, and 1999–2001.
At each assessment, the participants were asked about lifetime smoking history, whether they were current daily smokers or had been in the past, and psychiatric disorders.
In all, 130 people reported suicidal thoughts during the entire 10-year follow-up period, with 19 attempting suicide, of whom 17 also had suicidal thoughts. The total cumulative number with suicidal thoughts or attempts was 132.
The results, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, showed that current daily smoking was associated with a 1.82-times greater risk of subsequent suicidal thoughts or attempt, independent of prior depression and substance use disorders.
In contrast, past smoking was not significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent suicidal behavior.
In addition, the team found that current daily smoking, but not past smoking, was associated with the subsequent occurrence of suicidal thoughts or attempt. This association remained even after the investigators took into account history of suicidal behavior and prior psychiatric disorders, with an odds ratio of 1.74.
"The function of MAO in relation to neurotransmitters implicated in suicidality has been confirmed in recent work, strengthening the biological plausibility of an effect of smoking on suicidality," say Breslau et al.
They nevertheless conclude that replication of their findings is needed before the question of whether smoking per se is an independent cause of suicidal behavior can be definitively answered.
Posted by AuntieMel on March 9, 2005, at 16:01:34
In reply to Study: Current smoking increases suicide risk, posted by jrbecker on March 9, 2005, at 10:38:58
Yea, right.
The only time I feel like doing anything is when I *can't* have one - like a 14 hour flight.
This is the end of the thread.
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