Cigarette smoking and panic psychopathology

The present paper summarizes empirical evidence suggesting that smoking and panic problems often co-occur; that smoking is a risk factor for, and may serve to maintain, panic attacks and panic disorder; and that premorbid panic-specific vulnerability variables and full-blown panic problems are related to coping-oriented smoking motives and perhaps to the maintenance of smoking behavior. An integrative model is offered to stimulate further work on this topic, followed by future directions for research.