About the Partnership

The Mental Health and Smoking Partnership is a coalition of Royal Colleges, third sector organisations and academics committed to improving the health and lives of people with mental health conditions by tackling the high rates of smoking in this population. The Partnership was established in 2016 following the publication of The Stolen Years report. It is jointly chaired by Professor Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at the National Addictions Centre, King’s College London, and Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

Smoking rates among people with mental health conditions are significantly higher than in the general population. Nearly half (45%) of those with a serious mental illness (SMI) in England smoke, alongside a quarter (26%) of people with depression or anxiety. High rates of smoking among this population have a disastrous impact on physical health, particularly for those with a serious mental illness who on average live 15-20 years less than someone without. It is estimated that smoking accounts for two-thirds of the reduced life expectancy in this group.

There is a growing body of evidence that smoking causes poor mental health, particularly increasing the chance of developing bi-polar, schizophrenia and depression.

Smoking also indirectly affects mental health through:

• Making people sicker and reducing their employment prospects.
• Reducing household incomes and increasing the likelihood of living in poverty. The average smoker spends up to £2,500 a year on tobacco.
• Trapping smokers in a cycle of addiction and withdrawal.

Despite this, the myth that smoking in some way relieves symptoms of poor mental health continues to be widespread, including among health professionals. In reality, the evidence is clear that stopping smoking improves mental health, with evidence showing that quitting is linked to improvements in mental health and wellbeing which are comparable to the impact of taking anti-depressants.

• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
• Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
• Association of Directors of Public Health
• Association of Mental Health Providers
• Breathe
• Cancer Research UK
• Centre for Mental Health
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
• College of Mental Health Pharmacy
• Fresh
• Groundswell
• HNY Centre for Excellence in Tobacco Control
• King's College London
• Mental Health Foundation
• Mental Health Nurses Association
• Mental Health UK
• Mind
• National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training
• Primary Care Respiratory Society
• Rethink Mental Illness
• Royal College of General Practitioners
• Royal College of Nursing
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Turning Point
• University of York: Department of Health Sciences