The prevalence of smoking among psychiatric outpatients (N = 277) was
significantly higher than among either local or national population- based
samples (N = 1,440 and 17,000) (52% versus 30% and 33%). The higher
prevalence was not associated with the age, sex, marital status,
socioeconomic status, alcohol use, coffee use, or institutionalization of
the psychiatric patients. Smoking was especially prevalent among patients
with schizophrenia (88%) or mania (70%) and among the more severely ill
patients. Hypotheses about why psychiatric patients are more likely to
smoke and why they do not have a high rate of smoking- induced illnesses
are presented.Abstract Teaser