Drive to cut smoking levels among people with mental health issues

By The Press Association13th April 2016News EnglandMental Health, News England, Vulnerable Adults

More must be done to drive down the number of people with mental health problems who smoke, a charity has said.

People with mental health problems have significantly lower life expectancies than the general population and much of this can be attributed to smoking, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

The charity said that around one third of adult tobacco consumption is by people with a current mental health condition.

Its new report states that people with mental health problems smoke more and are more heavily addicted.

And over the last two decades smoking rates among people with mental illness have “barely changed”, the report adds.

ASH said that more support is needed to help people with mental illnesses kick the habit.

Paul Burstow, former health minister and chairman of the report, said: “It is time to challenge the idea that smoking amongst people with mental health conditions is either inevitable or intractable: it is not.

“With a determined and collective effort we can save millions of people from early death and avoid years of life being blighted by heart and lung diseases, stroke and cancer.”

Brian Dow, director of external affairs at the charity Rethink Mental Illness said people with a mental health condition may need specialised, longer term support to help them quit.

He added: “There is no quick fix for smoking and mental health. We need to work across mental and physical health services, and social care, to empower people to become smoke free.”

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, added: “The appalling gap in life expectancy between those with a mental health condition and the general population is unacceptable. Not only are high rates of smoking contributing to a widening gap in health, but also in wealth, with thousands of people pushed into poverty due to their expenditure on tobacco. To reverse these trends professionals in every part of the health and social care system must work together.”

Professor Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, said: “Public Health England is committed to working with others to drive down high smoking rates among people living with mental health problems – an unacceptable inequality that contributes to the much reduced life expectancy.

“The best thing any smoker can do is to quit and they stand the best chance of quitting with support from their local stop smoking service.”