This disparity is also apparent in the USA where data from the 2009-2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found smoking prevalence among people with any mental health condition was 36.1% compared to 21.4% among people with no mental health condition. 11 12 In contrast, the latest Public Health England data shows that 40.5% of adults with a serious mental health illness (SMI) smoke, 13 a figure which has remained steady over the past 20 years. Since the mid-1990s, smoking in the general population in England has fallen from around 27% to around 14.9% by 2017. Smoking prevalence among people with a mental health condition is substantially higher than in the general population. Therefore, quitting smoking is particularly important for this group since smoking is the single largest contributor to their 10-20 year reduced life expectancy.
Partly a result of high smoking rates, people with a mental health condition have high mortality rates compared to the general population. However, there is some evidence that smoking could act as a trigger for mental ill-health. 1 3It is not clear whether smoking is the cause or effect of mental health conditions. 1 2It is estimated that around 30% of smokers in the UK have a mental health condition, and more than 40% of adults with a serious mental illness smoke. This association becomes stronger relative to the severity of the mental health condition, with the highest levels of smoking found in psychiatric in-patients. Smoking rates among people with a mental health condition are significantly higher than in the general population and there is a strong association between smoking and mental health conditions. This fact sheet examines the links between smoking and mental health, rates of smoking among people with different mental health conditions, and interventions to help these people to stop smoking.
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