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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2014/jul/15/smoking-and-mental-health-whats-the-connection
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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Smoking and mental health, what's the connection? | Smoking and mental health, what's the connection? |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| People with | People with |
| mental health problems are more | mental health problems are more |
| likely to smoke, and smoke more heavily, than the general population, and | likely to smoke, and smoke more heavily, than the general population, and |
| they’re often overlooked when it comes to offering help to quit. | they’re often overlooked when it comes to offering help to quit. |
| The economic | The economic |
| cost of smoking in people with mental health problems was £2.34bn in | |
| 2009/10 in the UK, according to a new study published in the journal Tobacco Control | 2009/10 in the UK, according to a new study published in the journal Tobacco Control |
| last week. The authors suggest that this economic burden of smoking in mental | last week. The authors suggest that this economic burden of smoking in mental |
| health populations further supports the ethical argument for improving the ‘stop smoking’ services available for people | health populations further supports the ethical argument for improving the ‘stop smoking’ services available for people |
| with mental health problems, and that research into tailored treatments for | |
| these smokers is urgently needed. | these smokers is urgently needed. |
| The study | The study |
| used economic models to look at direct and indirect costs to the NHS, and to the | used economic models to look at direct and indirect costs to the NHS, and to the |
| UK economy more generally. Even taking into account the fact that people with | |
| mental health problems are less likely to be in work than the general | mental health problems are less likely to be in work than the general |
| population, and earn less on average, there were still substantial losses in | population, and earn less on average, there were still substantial losses in |
| earnings in this group. | earnings in this group. |
| Economic | Economic |
| losses were roughly evenly split between three categories: | losses were roughly evenly split between three categories: |
| It is well | |
| established that smoking rates are much higher in people with mental health | established that smoking rates are much higher in people with mental health |
| problems; this study claims they are approximately 50% higher. And although | |
| smoking rates are going down in the general population, excessive smoking in | smoking rates are going down in the general population, excessive smoking in |
| people with mental health problems remains an issue. | people with mental health problems remains an issue. |
| On top of | On top of |
| this, according to the Royal College of Physicians, people with mental health problems have lower | this, according to the Royal College of Physicians, people with mental health problems have lower |
| life expectancy than the general population, and a lot of this reduced life | life expectancy than the general population, and a lot of this reduced life |
| expectancy is related to diseases caused by smoking. | expectancy is related to diseases caused by smoking. |
| But historically, | But historically, |
| there has been some suggestion that trying to help people with mental | there has been some suggestion that trying to help people with mental |
| health problems to quit smoking is not practical, and might even be | |
| detrimental to their mental health. A lot of patients reported smoking as | detrimental to their mental health. A lot of patients reported smoking as |
| self-medication, and there was an attitude among some that these people "had | |
| enough on their plates", without taking away their comforting cigarettes, | |
| particularly if there may be some perceived benefit of nicotine in various psychiatric disorders. Cigarettes have even been used as bartering tools by health professionals as a way of engaging | |
| with patients. | with patients. |
| Of course, | Of course, |
| helping someone improve their mental health condition is hugely important, but | helping someone improve their mental health condition is hugely important, but |
| when the leading causes of death among people with schizophrenia are lung | when the leading causes of death among people with schizophrenia are lung |
| cancers, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, and other smoking-related illnesses, the ethicality of such behavior on the part of health | |
| professionals becomes more questionable. What's more, a recent study found that patients with mental health | |
| problems who reduced their smoking, or quit, showed improved outcomes in their | problems who reduced their smoking, or quit, showed improved outcomes in their |
| mental health. | mental health. |
| When | When |
| patients with mental health problems are asked about their smoking, they are as keen to quit as smokers in the general population. | patients with mental health problems are asked about their smoking, they are as keen to quit as smokers in the general population. |
| However, at the moment there’s been very little research into the | |
| effectiveness of various types of smoking cessation techniques in populations | effectiveness of various types of smoking cessation techniques in populations |
| with mental health problems, and at present people with mental health problems | with mental health problems, and at present people with mental health problems |
| find it harder | find it harder |
| to stop smoking and are less likely to succeed. | to stop smoking and are less likely to succeed. |
| While there | While there |
| is some evidence that nicotine (rather than cigarettes) might ease some | is some evidence that nicotine (rather than cigarettes) might ease some |
| symptoms of schizophrenia, that evidence is far from conclusive, and in any case, there | |
| are other, much less harmful methods of nicotine administration than cigarettes. | are other, much less harmful methods of nicotine administration than cigarettes. |
| There is also growing evidence that higher rates of smoking actually precede | There is also growing evidence that higher rates of smoking actually precede |
| the onset of mental illness in both schizophrenia, depression, and recently Alzheimer’s | the onset of mental illness in both schizophrenia, depression, and recently Alzheimer’s |
| and dementia, | and dementia, |
| suggesting that smoking could even be a risk factor for these disorders, | suggesting that smoking could even be a risk factor for these disorders, |
| although there is not yet strong evidence that this is the case. | |
| Whatever the | Whatever the |
| role of smoking in mental health, if these people are disproportionately | role of smoking in mental health, if these people are disproportionately |
| suffering from smoking-related illnesses, losing earnings and dying early, then | |
| it is the duty of healthcare professionals to help them quit if they want to, | it is the duty of healthcare professionals to help them quit if they want to, |
| and to find effective means to do so. | and to find effective means to do so. |
| A version of this post will appear on the Cancer Research UK blog on Tuesday evening |