RESUMO
Introduction: In India, the studies specifically examining the relationship between smoking and bipolar disorder are scarce. Even in the studies reported, only smoking tobacco has been included. In India where the predominant form of tobacco abuse by women being smokeless tobacco, this approach would exclude most female sample. So, we propose to examine the pattern of both smoking and smokeless tobacco among the bipolar patients and to correlate the same to the socio-demographic data and comorbid other substance abuse. Material and methods: We examined the prevalence of smoking in of 92 patients who met the Clinical Diagnosis and Description Guidelines, Tenth Edition criteria for bipolar I disorder and evaluated the relationship between smoking and demographic and clinical data and the difference in smoking and smokeless tobacco use. Results: Fifty-five of the bipolar patients (59.7%) smoked, a rate that is higher than among the general population in India (48%). The form of tobacco use was significantly correlated to sex. Significant relationships were revealed between nicotine use and family history of substance abuse and between smoking and history of alcohol use. The severity of dependence of smoking tobacco could correlate to the severity of dependence of Alcohol but not smokeless tobacco. The severity of current episode of mania predicts the severity of smokeless tobacco use. Conclusion: Bipolar patients smoke more than the general population. Bipolar patients that are moderate or heavy smokers are more likely than non-smokers to consume alcohol. However, no association was found between clinical variables of bipolar patients and smoking.