Smoking could help cause psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia, say

Statistics have indicated at the end of the experiment that 57 percent of tobacco addicts also had a history of mental illnesses, according to the findings of the study.

Were this true the researchers would have found smoking rates only increased after an individual had developed psychosis.

He added, however, that tobacco was only one of many factors, including certain genetic, diet, lifestyle and other influences, raising a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia.

“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 outcome of the illness”, said MacCabe.

To explore the subject further, researchers reviewed the available evidence from 61 studies comprising nearly 15,000 tobacco users and 273,000 non users.

Previous studies, some by Murray, have also linked cannabis use to psychosis.

Smoking tobacco, already known to cause cancer and stroke, may be also be a contributor to mental illness, a new study suggests.

Professor Sir Robin Murray, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College, said: ‘Excess dopamine is the best biological explanation we have for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. However, the association with tobacco is plausible and justifies further investigation since psychotic illnesses are characterised by high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, and nicotine exposure increases the release of dopamine. But there is much debate about whether this is causal or whether there may be shared genes which predispose people to both cannabis use and schizophrenia. “However, longer-term studies are needed to fully understand this potential link”.

The researchers found that daily smokers had an increased risk of psychosis.

“Yet, a definitive explanation why this is the case has been lacking”.

Warning for Smokers! A new study has suggested that smoking could play a direct role in the development of schizophrenia, and cigarette lovers were likelier to develop the disorder and at a younger age.

“Anyone who needs help in stopping smoking should speak with their doctor”. “The fact is that it is very hard to prove causation without a randomised trial, but there are plenty of good reasons already for targeting public health measures very energetically at the mentally ill”, he said.

Dopamine is a chemical messenger that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.

Based on this newly found percentage of smokers suffering from mental affections, Dr. MacCabe has concluded that psychiatry experts should consider smoking as one of the factors leading to schizophrenia, instead of regarding it as a mere outcome of this bad habit.