Smoking tobacco may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses, scientists have suggested.
In a landmark study, British researchers highlight statistical
trends, which suggest cigarettes can increase the chance of someone
being diagnosed with psychosis. They think nicotine interferes with the
way the brain responds to pleasure and reward, which may trigger mental
disorders. Doctors have highlighted in the past the fact that people
with psychotic mental illnesses are more likely to be smokers. But until
now experts have assumed this is because sufferers are smoking to deal
with their distress.
The study, in the respected Lancet Psychiatry medical journal, suggests for the first time the link may actually be causal.
The authors used data from almost 290,000 people to conclude that those with psychosis are more likely to smoke because their habit - alongside genetic and environmental influences - had caused their problem.
Dr James MacCabe, a member of the team from King's College London, said, "While it is always hard to determine the direction of causality, our findings indicate that smoking should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis and not dismissed simply as a consequence of the illness."
The researchers analysed data from 61 studies involving 15,000 smokers and 273,000 non-smokers.
They found that 57 percent of people treated for a first episode of psychosis were smokers.
In a landmark study, British researchers highlight statistical
trends, which suggest cigarettes can increase the chance of someone
being diagnosed with psychosis. They think nicotine interferes with the
way the brain responds to pleasure and reward, which may trigger mental
disorders. Doctors have highlighted in the past the fact that people
with psychotic mental illnesses are more likely to be smokers. But until
now experts have assumed this is because sufferers are smoking to deal
with their distress.The study, in the respected Lancet Psychiatry medical journal, suggests for the first time the link may actually be causal.
The authors used data from almost 290,000 people to conclude that those with psychosis are more likely to smoke because their habit - alongside genetic and environmental influences - had caused their problem.
Dr James MacCabe, a member of the team from King's College London, said, "While it is always hard to determine the direction of causality, our findings indicate that smoking should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis and not dismissed simply as a consequence of the illness."
The researchers analysed data from 61 studies involving 15,000 smokers and 273,000 non-smokers.
They found that 57 percent of people treated for a first episode of psychosis were smokers.
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