OBJETIVES: This study was aimed at investigating the presence of anxiety disorders and tobacco use among psychiatric outpatients. METHODS: A transversal study was carried out in which SCID-I was administered to 84 psychiatric outpatients in Porto Alegre, in order to determine the occurrence of anxiety disorders and nicotine dependence; in addition, Fagerström's test was used to identify the degree of nicotine dependence. Exclusion criteria were having a diagnosis of schizophrenia or presenting other psychotic disorders and mental retardation. RESULTS: Anxiety disorders were found in 75% of the patients with the most frequent ones being specific phobia and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), with 26.2% each. Smokers represented 21.43% of the sample, comparativaand among these, most scored low in the dependence degree test. An association was found between suffering from GAD and being a smoker, and the chance of patients with GAD smoke was 5.2 times related to one who didn't have that disturbance. CONCLUSION: Anxiety disorders are common among outpatients and thus deserve proper identification. The frequency of smoking among outpatients with anxiety disorders is also high, and as it presents a significant association with GAD, it must be dealt with in the treatment of these patients.
Anxiety disorders; smoking; outpatient care; comorbidity
