New Report Says Smoking Amplifies Schizophrenia and Depression Risk

New research has found that smoking can increase an individual’s risk of developing depression and schizophrenia. According to a report from the University of Bristol, the risk of developing depression goes up by an estimated 53% to 130% while the risk of developing schizophrenia increases by roughly 52% to 127% when you smoke regularly.

The research was shared at the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress and will be used to inform the United Kingdom government’s new Tobacco Control Plan.

Researchers will also provide the Parliament of the UK with data on the number of smokers in the country who also grapple with mental-health conditions. At the moment, an estimated 1.6 million smokers in England have depression and anxiety while 230,000 smokers live with serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

This new analysis proves that there is a clear relationship between smoking and the prevalence of negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

Prof. Marcus Munafo of the University of Bristol, who was one of the authors of the study, stated said there was no doubt that smoking had adverse mental-health effects. The biological psychology professor mentioned the bidirectional effects, or the cyclical relationship, between smoking and mental health, explaining that poor mental health pushes people to smoke more and more, which exacerbates their mental-health illnesses, causing them to smoke even more, which makes their mental health deteriorate even further.

The cycle keeps on repeating itself, and in the end, the individual is addicted to smoking and their mental health has gone down the drain. Munafo stated that health-care professionals who work with people dealing with mental-health conditions ought to understand the cyclical nature of smoking and mental health. Reduced rates of smoking would improve both mental and physical health, he concluded.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Public Mental Health Implementation Center and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) also released a joint report outlining how medical professionals can address the relationship between smoking and negative mental health outcomes.

Royal College of Psychiatrists president Dr. Adrian James reiterated just how serious a smoking addiction can be, stating that it can cause major harm to the mind and body. But with the right support, he said, smokers who suffer from mental-health conditions can quit smoking.

The National Health Service (NHS) has committed to providing support for patients with mental-health conditions who are addicted to smoking. However, this will mostly be limited to smokers suffering from severe mental illness.

The treatments for mental health afflictions being studied by established companies such as Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) may also play a role in rolling back the dial on psychiatric disorders, which are on the uptick at this time.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Silo Pharma Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SILO

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