Disorders due to use of nicotine (Q40470)

Disorders due to use of nicotine are characterised by the pattern and consequences of nicotine use. Nicotine is the active dependence-producing constituent of the tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum. Nicotine is used overwhelmingly through smoking cigarettes. Increasingly, it is also used in electronic cigarettes that vaporize nicotine dissolved in a carrier solvent for inhalation (i.e., “vaping”). Pipe smoking, chewing tobacco and inhaling snuff are minor forms of use. Nicotine is a highly potent addictive compound and is the third most common psychoactive substance used worldwide after caffeine and alcohol. Nicotine Dependence and Nicotine Withdrawal are well described and Nicotine-Induced Mental Disorders are recognized.