ABSTRACT
People who have mental health problems tend to smoke two to three times more heavily than the general population and display a greater level of dependence, although roughly half of them express a desire to quit. Smoking also has a significant financial cost. People who have schizophrenia and smoke have been found to substantially contribute to the costs of their own care, due to them smoking more heavily, buying more cigarettes, paying more tax and being in receipt of state benefits. A survey of psychiatric hospital staff found that nurses were more likely to be smokers than other health professionals, and had a much more tolerant approach to smoking, regardless of whether or not they smoked themselves. Encouraging as many people as possible to quit smoking has been the focus of many government initiatives in the UK since the 1998 publication of Smoking Kills, the government’s tobacco control strategy.
