Dr Elena Ratschen, Lecturer in Tobacco Control in the Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, urged mental health trusts and commissioners to better support mental health patients in addressing their smoking.
Dr Ratschen told The Lancet Respiratory Medicine:
"Anxiety and depression are often elevated in smokers compared to non-smokers, and there is evidence to show that
these symptoms of mental illness, that are often thought to be relieved by smoking, actually worsen over time. There is no justification to view smoking as a therapeutic activity."
Link to the article: Smoking and mental illness -- time to break the link (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 7 Feb 2014)
The University of Nottingham
email:Chris Hill