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. 2022 Aug 30;64(1):e1-e9.
doi: 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5489.

Smoking cessation among people with mental illness: A South African perspective

Tejil Morar  1 , Lesley Robertson
Affiliations

Smoking cessation among people with mental illness: A South African perspective

Tejil Morar et al. S Afr Fam Pract (2004). .

Abstract

Tobacco use is recognised as a serious, worldwide public health concern. Smoking cessation is of great interest across a wide range of medical specialities, including family medicine. However, smoking cessation among people with mental illness (PWMI) has attracted scant attention in South African literature. This is despite PWMI suffering disproportionately from the damages of tobacco. The harms of smoking are not limited to physical health but extend to mental health. This article discusses the need for multifaceted smoking cessation treatments for PWMI in the public health sector, taking into consideration the prevalence and unique drivers of smoking in this population. A brief overview of patterns of tobacco use, associated harms and smoking cessation interventions in South Africa is given; all within the context of mental illness.

Keywords: South Africa; mental illness; smoking; smoking cessation; tobacco.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Factors influencing the relationship between mental illness and smoking.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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