A group of respected and influential doctors have warned that the NHS in England is not doing enough to help people with mental health conditions to give up smoking. It is known that people who suffer from mental health disorders, such as depression, are around twice as likely to be a smoker and tend to be more addicted to cigarettes themselves.
Yet, worryingly, it seems that the NHS is ignoring this problem and not doing enough to help patients to stop, according to the Royal College of Physicians. The Department of Health has said that it wants to put more effort into dealing with the issue in the future. The report, which was also put together by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, revealed that even though the rates of smoking in the general population have fallen quite significantly over the past 20 years, there has been only a little change in the percent of people with mental health conditions who smoke. This is a very worrying trend.
The report also revealed the surprising statistic that a third of all cigarettes in England are smoked by someone who has a mental health disorder. Yet there is nothing to suggest that people mental health issues are any less likely to want to quit than anyone else, but they are likely to be more addicted and lack the right support to stop, the report found.
Smoking has become engrained in the overall culture of many institutions that care for people with mental health problems and making them a totally smoke-free environment should be a priority, the report recommended. Although the usual plans for giving up smoking such as nicotine replacement therapy are effective, people with mental health conditions may need higher doses or more support.
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