Smoking is unusually common among people with schizophrenia. Despite the very strong link between smoking and schizophrenia, however, experts do not think that smoking has anything to do with causing this disease. However, smoking is an important reason why people with schizophrenia don't live as long as other people do.
just the facts
In the U.S., more than 70% of schizophrenics smoke, as compared to less than 25% of the general population. (1)
Sources 1. de Leon J. Smoking and vulnerability for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 1996;22:405-409.
definition
Schizophrenia is a very serious mental illness in which people's thoughts and perceptions become distorted. People with this disease may have difficulty thinking clearly, hear voices that other people don't hear, and act in very abnormal ways.
explanation
Smoking is unusually common among people with schizophrenia. In the U.S., more than 70% of schizophrenics smoke, as compared to less than 25% of the general population. (1) Many schizophrenics are very heavy smokers; they typically smoke many more cigarettes per day than most other smokers do.
Despite the very strong link between smoking and schizophrenia, however, experts do not think that smoking has anything to do with causing this disease. Instead, the most likely explanation for the link is that people with schizophrenia smoke a lot because smoking helps them feel and function better. In interviews, people with schizophrenia have told researchers that they smoke because smoking calms them and controls some of the symptoms of their disease. The nicotine in cigarettes may also counteract unpleasant side effects of some medications used to treat schizophrenia.
Although people with schizophrenia may think that smoking is helpful to them in some ways, it is very harmful to their general health. Many schizophrenics are literally smoking themselves to death; they have very high death rates from smoking-related diseases. In fact, smoking is an important reason why people with schizophrenia don't live as long as other people do.
