Saturday, March 23, 2013

Nicotine Dependence: History, Diagnosis & Treatment


The History of Tobacco
One of the first known uses of tobacco are from Native Americans in the Northern American regions they smoked tobacco as part of their spiritual ceremonies and for medicinal reasons.  “Tobacco is a green, leafy plant that is grown in warm climates. After it is picked, it is dried, ground up, and used in different ways. It can be smoked in a cigarette, pipe, or cigar. It can be chewed (called smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco) or sniffed through the nose (called snuff).  (Jacobs, 1997, p 6)” In 1612 the North American settlers began selling their tobacco crops.  (Jacobs, 1997)
By 1881 a guy named James Bonsack “. . . invented the cigarette-making machine. . .” and went into business with another guy named James “Buck” Duke, together they formed the American Tobacco Company and sold Duke Durham cigarettes.  (Jacobs, 1997, p 8)  By 1902 Phillip Morris formed a company and made his own brand of cigarettes he called, Marlboro. “Since WW II, there have been six giant cigarette companies in the U.S. They are Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds, American Brands, Lorillard, Brown & Williamson, and Liggett & Meyers (now called the Brooke Group).”   (Jacobs, 1997, p 9) 
Prior to the 1950s science had demonstrated that “. . . smoking caused lung cancer as well as other serious respiratory and cardiac diseases, leading to death.”  (Brandt, 2012, p 65)  In 1953 the cigarette companies started being accused of being the purveyors of lung cancer.  On, January 11, 1964,the U.S. Surgeon General, Luther L. Terry, released a statement to the public regarding the strong relationship, if not causal relationship, between smoking, lung cancer and other cardiovascular diseases.  (Terry, 1964)  One year later, the United States Congress passed the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 (‘Act’).  The Act required that all tobacco companies include a label on their cigarette packaging that stated “Cigarettes may be hazardous to your health.”  (Jacobs, 1997) In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association included Nicotine Dependence as part of the Substance Disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s third edition.  (Coszi, 2011)  And, by 1988 Dr. C. Everrett Koop, the United States Surgeon General, released a statement to the public that likened the dangers of nicotine addiction to cocaine and heroine addiction (Tolchin, 1988)
Diagnosis of Nicotine Dependence
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM IV) sets out the criterion for substance dependence as “A Maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any time in the same 12-month period:
1.      Tolerance, . . . [ingest more of the substance to obtain the needed effect or the effects are lessened with continued use of same amount]
2.       Withdrawal . . . [the body does not feel normal unless the substance or similar substance is present so the person may experience headaches, nausea, shaking, etc… ]
3.      the substance is often taken in larger amounts or over longer period than was intended
            there is a persistent or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use
4.      A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain the substance . . .
important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of substance use
5.       the substance use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by the substance . . .”  (APA, 2000, p197) 
The DSM IV then sets out specific criterion to be met for Nicotine Dependence.  Because some of the criterion for Substance Dependence would not apply to Nicotine Dependence clarification of some of the criterion is needed.  For example there is no need for a nicotine dependent person to spend a great deal of time trying to obtain nicotine, as nicotine is readily available to the general public, as opposed to say, someone who is dependent on prescription medication who would have to go to see a doctor or several doctor before they were able to obtain the medication needed. (APA, 2000)  “Tolerance to nicotine is manifested by a more intense effect of nicotine the first tie it is used during the day and the absence of nausea and dizziness with repeated intake, despite regular use of substantial amounts of nicotine.”  (APA, 2000, p 264) 
Also, smokers smoke so that they don’t feel withdrawal symptoms, chain smoking could be considered “spending a  great deal of time” with the substance, people who don’t go places because they can’t smoke could be considered to be “Giving-up important social, occupational, recreational activities. . .”  and “Continued use despite the knowledge of medical problems related to smoking. . .”  (APA, 2000 p 265)  Someone is in Nicotine withdrawal if they are manifesting four of the following six criterion after “. . . the abrupt cessation or disruption of use of nicotine containing products . . .” 1.) dysphoric or depressed mood; 2.) insomnia;  3.) irritability,  4.) restlessness or impatience, 5.) decreased heart rate; 6.) increased appetite or weight gain.  (APA, 2000, p 265)
When making a diagnosis of nicotine dependence a clinician can use the specifiers for a diagnosis of Substance dependence to note whether the nicotine diagnosis is “With Physiological Dependence.  This specifier should be used when Substance Dependence is accompanied by evidence of tolerance (Criterion 1) or withdrawal (Criterion 2). [or] Without Physiological Dependence.  This specifier should be used when there is no evidence of tolerance (Criterion 1) or withdrawal (Criterion 2).  In these individuals substance dependence is characterized by a pattern of compulsive use (at least three items from Criteria 3-7).”  (APA, 2000, 195) Common features of a nicotine dependent individual are “tobacco odor, cough, evidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and excessive skin wrinkling.”  (APA, 2000, p 267)
There are several tests that can assist with the diagnosis of Nicotine Dependence.  One of the diagnostic tests is the Core International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 as an international assessment tool for the diagnosis of mental disorders.  (World Health Organization, 1997)  Another test that is used to assess an individual’s level of dependence to nicotine is the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).  The shortened version of the FTND  asks six questions which focus on when a smoker smokes and the intensity of discomfort if he doesn’t.  There is a point scale given to each answer and the smoker is assessed as having a very low dependence, moderate dependence or high dependence on cigarettes.   (Balfour, 2000) 
Treatment for Nicotine Dependence
There are many types of treatment for Nicotine Dependence. Some of the treatments available for Nicotine Dependence are:  Pharmacological, Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Smoking Cessation, Hypnosis, Acupuncture, Diet & Exercise and quitting Cold Turkey.   The most commonly used and proven effective treatments are pharmacological, nicotine replacement therapy (a type of smoking cessation) and cognitive behavioral therapy.  (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010) 
One of the most effective medications for pharmacological treatment of nicotine dependence is  “Bupropion (Zyban®, Wellbutrin®, or Aplenzin®) [it] is a prescription anti-depressant in an extended-release form that reduces symptoms of nicotine withdrawal” (American Cancer Society, 2013, p 1) Another popular medication to stop smoking is “Varenicline (Chantix®) [it] is a prescription medicine developed to help people stop smoking. It works by interfering with nicotine receptors in the brain.” (American Cancer Society, 2013, p 1)  Neither of these medications contain nicotine but they assist an individual in quitting smoking Bupropion by alleviating some of the depression that may occur during the withdrawal from nicotine and Varenicline by minimizing the any sense of pleasure the smoker may think he gains from smoking.  (American Cancer Society, 2013)
Nicotine Replacement Therapy are gums, inhalers, patches, lozenges and nasal sprays that contain nicotine.  (National Institute of Health, 2013) “Available trials indicate that nicotine replacement therapy is an effective intervention in achieving sustained smoking abstinence for smokers who have no intention or are unable to attempt an abrupt quit”  (BMJ, 2009, p 1)  The BMJ research also found that counseling together with Nicotine Replacement Therapy was the most effective way to treat Nicotine Dependence.  (BMJ, 2009)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing are two of the counseling methods used for most substance dependence treatment.  “Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Cognitive Therapy (CT), or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), is a form of psychotherapy in which the therapist and the client work together as a team to identify and solve problems.” (Beck Institute Website)  Studies have shown that group therapy sessions using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy have doubled the chances of individuals quitting smoking and effectively achieving their treatment goals. (Stead, 2009)  Motivational Interviewing Therapy “MI is a collaborative method that elicits from patients their own motivation or reasons for changing their behavior.”  (Bisono, 2006, p72)  Motivational Interviewing is considered a form of effective listening to and questioning of the client in order to elicit the client’s own motivations for behavior change and defeat the idealization of negative consequences of the disorder as benefits to the client.  (Miller, 2009)
Most of the treatments for Nicotine Dependence recommend a change in diet and exercise to help reduce the cravings for nicotine.  The research suggests that the best treatment is a combination of treatment that combines individual or group counseling with medication or nicotine replacement therapy and some other lifestyle changes.  (American Cancer Society, 2013) 
References
American Cancer Society. (2013). Cancer Facts & Figures.  Atlanta, Ga. 2013 Retrieved from: http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/002971-pdf.pdf
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
Balfour, D., Benowitz, N., Fagerstrom, K., Kunze, M. and Keil U. (2000) Diagnosis and treatment of nicotine dependence with emphasis on nicotine replacement therapy: A status report.  European Heart Journal 21, 438-445 doi: 10.1053/euhj.1999.1949
Beck Institute Website “n.d.” Retrieved from: http://www.beckinstitute.org/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/
Bisonó, A., Manuel, J., & Forcehimes, A. (2006). Promoting treatment adherence through motivational interviewing. In W. O'Donohue, & E. Levensky (Eds.), Promoting treatment adherence: A practical handbook for health care providers. (pp. 71-85). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781452225975.n5
Coszi, F., Pistelli, F. and Carrozzi, L. (2011). Tobacco smoking: Why do physicians not make diagnosis?.  European Respiratory Review, 20, 119(62-63).   doi:10.1183/09059180.00007210
Jacobs, M. (1997). From the first to the last ash: The history, economics & hazards of tobacco. Mass. Department of Public Health grant to The Cambridge Tobacco Education Program, Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs. Tobacco Control Activities are supported by the Health Protection Fund, established upon passage of voter referendum Question 1 (Tobacco Excise tax).  Retrieved from:  http://healthliteracy.worlded.org/docs/tobacco/Tobacco.pdf
Moore, D., Aveyard, P., Connock, M., Wang, D., Fry-Smith, A., and Barton, P.,( 2009). Effectiveness and safety of nicotine replacement therapy assisted reduction to stop smoking: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2009;338:b1024 doi:10.1136/bmj.b1024
Stead, L. & Lancaster, T. (2013).  Group behaviour therapy programmes for smoking cessation. National Institute of Health.   DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001007.pub2
Terry, L., (1964). History of the surgeon general's reports on smoking and health. Center for disease control and prevention. Retrieved from:  http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/history/index.htm
Tolchin, M. (1988) Surgeon general asserts smoking is an addiction. New York Times Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/17/us/surgeon-general-asserts-smoking-is-an-addiction.html

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