Smoking and Suicidality Among Psychiatric Patients

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the relationship between smoking and suicidality among psychiatric patients. METHOD: All psychiatric patients (N=1,217) from Kuopio University Hospital in eastern Finland were examined for current smoking, suicidal ideation, previous suicide attempts, and other risk factors by using a cross-sectional, multivariate design. RESULTS: The probability of at least one previous suicide attempt was 100% higher in current smokers than in nonsmokers. Smokers also had a 43% higher risk of experiencing mild to severe suicidal ideation than nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: Current smoking was significantly related to suicidality in multiple logistic models, even after several confounding factors were controlled. The independence of this association seems possible, but the subject requires further research. (Am J Psychiatry 1998; 155:129–130)