SCHIZOPHRENIA and smoking

Tobacco use is significantly associated with schizophrenia. However, it is not clear if smoking is associated with illness itself, treatment, or underlying vulnerability to the disease. Smoking is recognized as a common problem in schizophrenia, based on clinical observations and epidemiological studies. Smoking has been suggested to be a marker of more severe illness, as smokers tend to have an earlier age of onset, more previous hospitalizations, and require higher doses of neuroleptic medication than …

…schizophrenics had a higher rate of smoking than intended. Both the schizophrenic probands and their co-twins reported being unable to quit smoking more than the comparison group. Schizophrenics reported headaches, shaky hands, and depression more than the comparison group when they tried to quit. The results suggest that the frequently observed association between schizophrenia and smoking is related, in part to a family vulnerability to schizophrenia and not solely to the disease of schizophrenia itself.