GHP October 2016

ghp October 2016 | 5 37% of Mental Health Patients Were Offered No Support to Quit Smoking According to new data collated by www.vapourlites. com, 38% of mental health sufferers smoke and in contrast to the general population, this has remained steady. Considering that 80% of mental health pa- tients attempt to quit smoking, it is startling to find that 23% of them were advised not to quit and an alarming 37% were offered no support to quit. A survey conducted by Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) has revealed that a whopping one third of cig- arettes in the UK are smoked by people with mental health conditions. Sadly, these individuals are not receiving the support they need from mental health services. And the shocking statistics don’t stop there. 10% of mental health patients actually started smoking during a hospital stay. The data, collated using figures pro- vided by ASH shows that the more severe the mental health problems, the more likely the sufferer is to smoke - and to become heavily addicted as they rely on the nicotine to relieve stress and anxiety. The survey examined whether mental health patients felt e-cigarettes might help them to quit smoking - and a conclusive 67% of those surveyed supported the use of e-cigarettes in mental health facilities. Charles Bloom from Vapourlites commented, “E-cig- arettes should be available in health facilities, as no matter who you are, quitting smoking can be a difficult time. E-cigarettes make the process more manageable and have helped so many people already. Considering that medical professionals cite them as an altogether better alternative to smoking, without the harmful chemicals cigarettes contain, there is really no reason why those with mental health conditions shouldn’t be given the option to try them out as a cessation aid” You can view the full study of results here: http://www. vapourlites.com/blog/23-of-mental-health-patients- were-advised-not-to-quit-smoking-by-healthcare-pro- fessionals.html One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year according to mental health charity Mind. Among this population, a shocking 40% will smoke compared to the national average of 16.9%.