Most smokers with mental illness want to quit, study finds

Nearly six in 10 Americans with severe mental illness smoke, and a new study suggests that many of them want to quit (Source: “Most Smokers With Mental Illness Want to Kick the Habit,” HealthDay News, Jan. 16, 2017).

The problem is that many of these patients don't get help from their psychiatrists and caseworkers, according to the study published in Community Mental Health Journal.

"Patients with serious mental illness die an average of 25 years younger than people who don't have these problems, and smoking is a big factor," said study author Dr. Li-Shiun Chen, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.