Media Release Monday, 8 December 2008

 

Smoke and mirrors lifted on mental illness and a deadly habit

People with mental illness are more likely to die from their smoking than their mental illness and this will continue unless there is more support to kick the deadly habit.

The warning comes as Cancer Council NSW and Mental Health Coordinating Council NSW today released a new report Smoke and Mirrors, which debunks many of the myths about smoking and mental illness.

Written by psychiatric registrar Dr Tanya Ahmed and writer and medical practitioner Dr Mark Ragg, the report reveals that most people with mental illness who smoke receive little help to quit, often due to the misconception that smoking is beneficial to them and quitting will exacerbate their stress.

“People with severe mental illness have a life expectancy up to 12 years shorter than the majority of people in our community and smoking is a major preventable contributor to this disparity,” said Dr Andrew Penman, CEO of Cancer Council NSW.

“These figures are startling, especially in light of the research which shows people with severe mental illness want to quit, can quit and should be helped to quit smoking.

“But this isn’t happening. People with mental illness are being failed by a lack of support, too few programs and a deep rooted smoking culture in the mental health sector amongst people with mental illness and amongst mental health workers.

“Contrary to popular belief, smoking is not medicinal for people with mental illnesses. There is no evidence of it helping relieve symptoms of schizophrenia in daily life. It does not reduce anxiety or stress and it does not help patients overcome depression.

“Smoking does the opposite. It increases stress and it is the leading cause of preventable death and disease among people with mental illness. In fact, one third* of people with schizophrenia will die from smoking and thousands more will face serious smoking related illnesses, Dr Penman said.

Jenna Bateman, CEO of Mental Health Coordinating Council NSW added: “Smoking imposes an enormous financial burden. People with serious mental illness spend between one quarter and one third of their income on tobacco, leaving less money for essentials like food and accommodation.

“The time has come for organisations supporting people with mental illness to adopt a culture that encourages and supports patients to quit smoking. The habit ruins health and puts tens of thousands of lives at risk.”

Dr Tanya Ahmed said people with mental illness are discriminated against in many ways in their daily lives – through housing, through health care, through employment.

For further information visit www.cancercouncil.com.au or call the Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20.

Media Contact: Luke Alexander (02) 9334 1878 / 0413 886 578 click here to download the full report [Size: 635KB]

Notes to news editors
*This figure is based on research which shows that one in two long term smokers will die of smoking related causes.

The authors’ biographies and report’s key findings follow below

Authors
Mark Ragg MBBS BA is adjunct senior lecturer in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and principal of the health and communications consultancy RaggAhmed.

Tanya Ahmed MBBS Grad Dip Hlth Serv Man MPH&TM is psychiatry registrar with Rivendell Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit in Sydney and principal of the health and communications consultancy RaggAhmed.

Report’s key findings and recommendations
Smoke and Mirrors involved a literature review of 9000 peer reviewed journal articles on smoking, its association with mental illness and its impact on people with mental illness.

The report found people with mental illness face the following barriers to quitting smoking:

• Lack of support and care by mental health staff
• Promotion of smoking in some institutions
• Use of smoking as a behavioural tool in some institutions
• Lack of leadership by most health departments, area health services and professional organisations working to protect the health of people with mental illness
• Dehumanisation of people with mental illness – they are said to have nothing better to do
• False beliefs about the causes of smoking among people with mental illness – the belief that people with mental illness smoke to self-medicate is untrue, yet encourages mental health staff and other carers to opt out of efforts to control smoking
• The assumption that agitation and negative mood after cessation of smoking are symptoms of mental illness, rather than possibly being symptoms of withdrawal, as they are for other smokers
• The severity of illness of some people with mental illness – a small proportion of people with mental illness are unable to formulate or carry out plans

The report recommends:

• Every person with mental illness should be asked whether they smoke or not
• Every person with mental illness should be advised of the risks of smoking and the benefits of quitting
• Every person with mental illness should be offered help to quit smoking
• No person with mental illness should ever be encouraged to smoke

Click here to view the full report on cancercouncil.com.au

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