Suicide is a major cause of death and an important public health problem (Hawton and van Heeringen 2009). In the U.S., suicide is the 10th leading cause of death, with a rate of 11.9 per 100,000 persons in 2010 (Murphy et al.). The rate of smoking and nicotine dependence are significantly higher for subjects with psychiatric disorders (Lasser et al. 2000; Grant et al. 2004; Pulay et al. 2010) and affective disorders are well-known risk factors for suicide or suicidal behaviors (Kessler et al. 2005). Smoking is one of the leading behavioral causes of ongoing morbidity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2010) and serious physical illness might predispose to higher risk of suicide or suicidal behaviors (Hawton and van Heeringen 2009).
