Smoking e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has become an increasingly common practice in the past decade, with recent estimates of lifetime prevalence of 23% globally.1 Despite this, the incidence of documentation of e-cigarette use in medical records by clinicians remains relatively low,2,3 perhaps indicating that e-cigarette use is not routinely screened for or that patients do not inform clinicians about their use.
As smoking e-cigarettes is a relatively new phenomenon, there remains a paucity of literature regarding its adverse effects. However, recent research has demonstrated a host of side-effects, including but not limited to cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and pulmonary injury.4 Although the impacts on mental health remain largely unknown, a recent cross-sectional study by Oh et al found a positive correlation between vaping and psychotic experiences in college students in the USA, even after adjusting for marijuana use and the presence of depression or anxiety.5 Similarly, a recent scoping review found positive associations between e-cigarette use and depression, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.6 Although these findings do not necessarily suggest a causative relationship, especially acknowledging the significant heterogeneity among e-cigarette devices, these studies do indicate a potential link between e-cigarette use and mental illness.
As such, there may be benefit to routinely screening for e-cigarette use in a standard mental health history. Data derived from health services, as well as individual clinician experiences, can assist in determining the potential risks of this increasingly popular practice moving forward.
Declaration of interest
None
References
- 1.Tehrani H, Rajabi A, Ghelichi- Ghojogh M, Nejatian M, Jafari A. The prevalence of electronic cigarettes vaping globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Public Health 2022; 80(1): 240. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Retracted]
- 2.Young-Wolff KC, Klebaner D, Folck B, Carter-Harris L, Salloum RG, Prochaska JJ, et al. Do you vape? Leveraging electronic health records to assess clinician documentation of electronic nicotine delivery system use among adolescents and adults. Prev Med 2017;105: 32–6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Winden TJ, Chen ES, Wang Y, Sarkar IN, Carter EW, Melton GB. Towards the standardized documentation of e-cigarette use in the electronic health record for population health surveillance and research. AMIA Jt Summits Transl Sci Proc 2015; 2015:199–203. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Marques P, Piqueras L, Sanz M-J. An updated overview of e-cigarette impact on human health. Respir Res 2021; 22(1): 151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Oh H, Banawa R, Lee JO, Zhou S, Huh J. Vaping and psychotic experiences among college students in the United States. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 227: 108987. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Javed S, Usmani S, Sarfraz Z, Sarfraz A, Hanif A, Firoz A, et al. A scoping review of vaping, e-cigarettes and mental health impact: depression and suicidality. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2022; 12(3): 33–9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]