Research using electronic health records showed that people with severe mental health challenges (such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) are more likely to die at a younger age than expected, often due to physical health conditions that are associated with smoking.
As a result of this research, most mental health services are now smoke-free zones, including inpatient wards – a dramatic shift in policy over the past 10-20 years.
For more information:
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- NHS England policy published in 2023 stating that all mental health trusts are now smoke-free environments: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/acute-inpatient-mental-health-care-for-adults-and-older-adults/
- Research article describing how smoking and other lifestyle factors affect life expectancy for people with severe mental health challenges: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230674#sec005
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