Do people with Schizophrenia experience reduced symptoms when smoking?

Question

The State of California is outlawing smoking at State Psychiatric Hospitals. Patients at those hospitals feel this new law is ill considered. I work at such and institution and in discussion with patients they have raised concerns about the effects of the ban on their rights and their mental health.

I am also curious if there is research supporting symptom reduction availible on the web.

Answer 1

People who have schizophrenia have a much higher rate of smoking than the general population. One of the suspected reasons is that the nicotine in the tobacco helps self-medicate and reduces symptoms. My therapist told me this, but I can't direct you to the source. Sorry.

I have Bipolar disorder and occasionally have problems with psychosis. I can tell you, that in my case, smoking does reduce the psychosis. I really do believe that there is an actual chemical response that makes this happen. I also can reduce psychotic problems by chewing nicotine gum, FYI.

Answer 2

The ban has nothing to do with schizophrenia in general, it has to do with all mental health patients. Anyone with a mental retardation/psychiatric problem is already at risk for addictive behavior moreso than someone with normal psychotic behavior. I'm sure there are illnesses where tobacco use has little to no affect on someone's mental disability, but they can't let certain people smoke, and certain people not smoke. It's all or nothing in cases like these.

Answer 3

I cannot seem to find any research addressing this.

People smoke because they enjoy it; yes there is some addiction to nicotine involved. I cannot see taking smoking away from people who have few pleasures in life.

Yes it has been proven that smoking is bad for ones health, however, in this case, they are not taking the MENTAL health of the people into consideration. When I stopped smoking, I felt very unsteady and was easily moved to tears. I of course got over this. Plus, this was MY choice not to smoke. I cannot see taking that control away from mentally ill people.

Several years ago I suffered from severe depression after finding my mother dead. When I talked to a psychiatrist, he, of course, took my history. When he asked me about smoking, I told him that I did smoke but was working on quitting (which was true at the time). He was very definite that this was not the best time in my life to do this. He, of course, did not tell me not to stop, but did not advise it at that time. This was a temporary time in my life whereas these poor people are not in a temporary situation at all.

You are correct, this decision certainly is ill-advised.

Answer 4

I'm sure almost all mental problems tend to go away after a good smoke....

nicotine keeps the part of brain busy that would ordinarily be messing things up.

Answer 5

I was a psychology major and I have never heard of any studies done correlating smoking with mental illness. I'm sure they just like to smoke and are addicted like most ppl who smoke.