Cigarette smoking rates significantly higher among adults experiencing mental illness

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Adults (ages 18 and older) who experienced a mental illness in the past year were more likely to smoke cigarettes than adults who have not experienced a mental illness according to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For example, 1 in 3 adults who experienced a mental illness in the past year were current cigarette smokers compared to 1 in 5 adults who did not experience a mental illness (33.3 percent versus 20.7 percent).

Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the nation. While current cigarette use dropped among adults overall (from 25.6 percent in 2008 to 21 percent in 2015) and among adults experiencing mental illness (from 37.4 percent in 2008 to 31.6 percent in 2015), smoking remains a concern for those experiencing mental illness because of the frequency of cigarette use in that population.

The report reveals that adult smokers who experience mental illness also smoked more cigarettes in the past month than adult smokers who had not experienced mental illness (326 cigarettes per month versus 284 cigarettes per month). Similarly, among adults who have smoked daily during some time in their lives, adults experiencing mental illness were less likely to have quit smoking than adults with no mental illness (38.4 percent versus 52.8 percent).

SAMHSA has a number of programs designed to address the problem of tobacco use among people experiencing mental illness. For example, SAMHSA’s Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) grant program promotes evidence-based practices for fostering tobacco cessation among people with mental illness.

Another program,“Smokefree.gov, supported by the National Cancer Institute, is a tobacco cessation intervention using mobile and online platforms to deliver personalized support and assistance via smartphone app, text message programs, websites, social media accounts, and access to telephone and online help with trained counselors. For more information, visit www.smokefree.gov”.

The report, Smoking and Mental Illness among Adults in the United States, is available at: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2738/ShortReport-2738.html. It is based on data from SAMHSA’s 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report. The SAMHSA NSDUH report is an annual survey of 68,000 people ages 12 and older on a wide range of behavioral health issues. .

For more information, contact the SAMHSA Press Office at 240-276-2130.