This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

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

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Smoking and mental health, what's the connection? Smoking and mental health, what's the connection?
(about 1 month later)
People with People with mental health problems are more likely to smoke, and smoke more heavily, than the general population, and they’re often overlooked when it comes to offering help to quit.
mental health problems are more 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 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 with mental health problems, and that research into tailored treatments for these smokers is urgently needed.
likely to smoke, and smoke more heavily, than the general population, and The study 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 population, and earn less on average, there were still substantial losses in earnings in this group.
they’re often overlooked when it comes to offering help to quit. Economic losses were roughly evenly split between three categories:
The economic It is well 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 people with mental health problems remains an issue.
cost of smoking in people with mental health problems was £2.34bn in On top of 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 expectancy is related to diseases caused by smoking.
2009/10 in the UK, according to a new study published in the journal Tobacco Control But historically, 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 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.
last week. The authors suggest that this economic burden of smoking in mental Of course, helping someone improve their mental health condition is hugely important, but 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 mental health.
health populations further supports the ethical argument for improving the ‘stop smoking’ services available for people When 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 with mental health problems, and at present people with mental health problems find it harder to stop smoking and are less likely to succeed.
with mental health problems, and that research into tailored treatments for While there 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. 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 and dementia, suggesting that smoking could even be a risk factor for these disorders, although there is not yet strong evidence that this is the case.
these smokers is urgently needed. Whatever the 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, and to find effective means to do so.
The study
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
population, and earn less on average, there were still substantial losses in
earnings in this group.
Economic
losses were roughly evenly split between three categories:
It is well
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
people with mental health problems remains an issue.
On top of
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
expectancy is related to diseases caused by smoking.
But historically,
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
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.
Of course,
helping someone improve their mental health condition is hugely important, but
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
mental health.
When
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
with mental health problems, and at present people with mental health problems
find it harder
to stop smoking and are less likely to succeed.
While there
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.
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
and dementia,
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
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,
and to find effective means to do so.
A version of this post will appear on the Cancer Research UK blog on Tuesday eveningA version of this post will appear on the Cancer Research UK blog on Tuesday evening