Smoking cessation and schizophrenia

Death rates for people with schizophrenia are three times those of the rest of the population. The increased risk is largely due to the fact that people with schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to smoke. However, there has not been that much emphasis on smoking cessation in mental health as it is feared that giving up smoking might lead to people's psychological health getting worse. Researchers from the University of York reviewed the evidence on smoking cessation programmes for people with severe mental illness. They found that for people with well-controlled schizophrenia smoking-cessation programmes were effective and did not lead to a deterioration in mental health. However, it was not possible to say how people with a more acute mental illness would respond to a smoking-cessation programme.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/189532.php