Summary
- People with mental health conditions die on average 10-20 years earlier than the general population and smoking is the single largest factor accounting for this difference
- Around one third of adult tobacco consumption is by people with a current mental health condition with smoking rates more than double that of the general population
The Stolen Years, a report by ASH, endorsed by 27 health and mental health organisations, sets out recommendations for how smoking rates for people with a mental health condition could be dramatically reduced.
These include improved training of healthcare staff, better access to stop smoking medication and a move towards smokefree mental health settings.
The report was launched in Parliament on 12th April 2016. You can view images from the launch here.