Smoking Increases the Risk of Panic

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Abstract
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND clinical studies have reported positive associations between smoking and mental disorders in general, and anxiety disorders in particular.1-13 There are several reasons to examine the relationship between anxiety disorders and smoking. Nicotine is postulated to be a potentially effective substance for self-medication to ameliorate symptoms of anxiety. This reduction in anxiety with smoking could be a direct pharmacological effect of nicotine, or could be mediated by the reduction in peer pressure that can accompany the initiation of cigarette use. In this regard, using a prospective longitudinal design, our group has already shown that adolescents and young adults with preexisting social fears have a higher risk for the subsequent onset of nicotine dependence when compared with subjects without social fears.10

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