Smoking and Mental Illness
Smoking rates are higher among people with mental illness than in the rest of the population. This means that people with mental illness suffer a greater burden of smoking related ill-health, early death and a substantial economic burden.
Reducing smoking in people with mental illness will improve health and contribute to reducing social disadvantage.
Health professionals have a key role to play in reducing the burden of smoking and improving the physical health of people with mental illness.
There is clear evidence that:
- many people with mental illness who smoke would like to quit
- many people with mental illness who smoke are able to quit.
The Addressing Smoking in Mental Health project
The Addressing Smoking in Mental Health project will improve the awareness of mental health professionals working in NSW of the impact of smoking on people with mental illness.
It will offer training and practical tools for clinicians around managing nicotine dependence in people with mental illness.
Practical clinical tools and training
The project has developed a set of practical clinical tools and will run workshops in Local Health Districts to assist clinicians to support people with mental illness who smoke to cut down or quit.
The Addressing Smoking in Mental Health project is funded by the Centre for Health Advancement, NSW Ministry of Health and has been developed in close partnership with the Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Office, NSW Ministry of Health. The Cancer Council NSW is delivering the project on behalf of the NSW Ministry of Health, working with RaggAhmed a health and communications consultancy.