Treatment of Comorbid Tobacco Addiction in Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Tobacco addiction is the leading cost of preventable morbidity and mortality in the western world. Substance use (SUD) and psychiatric (PD) disorders are important contributors to the high rates of tobacco addiction, and smokers with these comorbidities demonstrate lower rates of quitting compared with smokers in the general population. This article will review reasons for the high rates of co-occurring SUDs and PDs in people with tobacco addiction, and propose approaches to their assessment and treatment based on the recent literature. The recognition of SUDs and PDs in tobacco smokers is an important goal for all clinicians treating tobacco addiction, and an approach that integrates these treatments leads to optimal treatment outcomes for this important subset of tobacco smokers.