New analysis of smoking and schizophrenia suggests causal link

[nicnik]

"In research that turns on its head previous thinking about links between schizophrenia and smoking, scientists say they have found that cigarettes may be a causal factor in the development of psychosis."

and

""While it's always hard to determine the direction of causality, our findings indicate that smoking should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis," James MacCabe, a psychosis expert who co-led the research at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, told reporters."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/09/healthcare-smoking-schizophrenia-idUSL8N0ZP1TI20150709

Link broken, because I don't trust that any press release, or the articles I've seen on it, are reporting accurately on the research, which I haven't seen.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Schitzophrenia causes smoking?

 

[pennysmalls]

I thought I had read in the past that it was the other way around, that smoking rates are higher in those who already have psychosis.

 

[nicnik]

I thought I had read in the past that it was the other way around, that smoking rates are higher in those who already have psychosis.

That's been said for a while, but now, apparently, these researchers are saying it may be that smoking causes psychosis.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Schitzo researchers?

 

[nicnik]

Schitzo researchers?

Or maybe sociopaths, setting the table to blame the nicotine.

 

[AndriaD]

I started smoking at not-quite-14... but I'm pretty dang certain that I was already suffering both faces of the depression/anxiety coin.

I guess now it's not enough for ANTZ to say that people who smoke must be crazy, now it's the cigarettes that made them that way. Oh please.

Andria

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Same here I suffered depression and anxiety as far back as i can remember.

 

[AndriaD]

It seems a lot like saying that insulin causes diabetes... quick, gotta get all those diabetics off it!

Andria

 

[nicnik]

It seems a lot like saying that insulin causes diabetes... quick, gotta get all those diabetics off it!

Andria

It does. I hope I can find a posting of the research, and that I can understand the scientist lingo.

 

[nicnik]

Here come the more embellished scare headlines.

Smoking can triple chances of developing psychosis, study finds - Irish Times.

Smoking may cause schizophrenia, scientists warn - Wired UK

Smoking Could Directly Cause Schizophrenia, Researchers Say - Design & Trend

 

[azb8496]

I started smoking because of depression. Now, I'm more susceptible to my depression (and reaching for that crutch) because of the stigmatization I suffered over the course of many years for being a soulless smoker. Not only did people treat me differently, but my work, insurance companies, and the government did as well. I've often been penalized, unjustly, because of the smoking. The stigmatization condones hostile thinking.

I can see how smoking could indirectly cause people to suffer more symptoms of mental disorder; definitely.

P.S. Cigarettes, by themselves, used to cost me $35/month a little over 10 years ago. A year ago, the social, corporate, and governmental factors had an impact of an extra $160/month, even while avoiding state taxes, which would have added an additional $205/month on top of that ($400/month total). Meanwhile, smokers were looking to save the system more than $100 billion a year when you took into consideration the money saved on social security, state and federal taxes, tobacco company contributions/taxes, and other various aspects. If knowing something like that and being on the short end of the bargain isn't enough to drive you insane, you officially have the world's greatest mental genes.

 

[nicnik]

I started smoking because of depression. Now, I'm more susceptible to my depression (and reaching for that crutch) because of the stigmatization I suffered over the course of many years for being a soulless smoker. Not only did people treat me differently, but my work, insurance companies, and the government did as well. I've often been penalized, unjustly, because of the smoking. The stigmatization condones hostile thinking.

I can see how smoking could indirectly cause people to suffer more symptoms of mental disorder; definitely.

P.S. Cigarettes, by themselves, used to cost me $35/month a little over 10 years ago. A year ago, the social, corporate, and governmental factors had an impact of an extra $160/month, even while avoiding state taxes, which would have added an additional $205/month on top of that ($400/month total). Meanwhile, smokers were looking to save the system more than $100 billion a year when you take into consideration the money saved on social security, state and federal taxes, tobacco company contributions/taxes, and other various aspects. If knowing something like that and being on the short end of the bargain isn't enough to drive you insane, you officially have the world's greatest mental genes.

Great message.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

I thought I had read in the past that it was the other way around, that smoking rates are higher in those who already have psychosis.

In this post-modern era, modern truths are subject to revision.

 

[nicnik]

Paywall. Paywalled research articles may cause extreme frustration and/or depletion of spending money.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(15)00239-4/abstract

 

[nicnik]

They're theorizing that smoking's dopamine boost may cause psychosis. Well, coffee boosts it, too. Right, Cool_Breeze?

 

[azb8496]

Great message.

Thank you. The only thing that infuriates me more than the extreme exploitation of smokers is the calls for banning the one product that could ultimately set them free, from numerous sectors of the world; to include a populous of systems in the western world.

This is why we

 

[Steamix]

Seems like which came first, chicken or the egg...

 

[azb8496]

Nothing new in the article btw. I'm glad you posted it though. It's another data point of crap being introduced to the masses. All in all, it's just another piece of science being exploited *ahem* expounded on by educated fools *ahem* scientists before newer, useful information can be provided by the product of more well thought out experiments and added to the data collection.

What do I know though? My epidemiological capacity is far smaller than the student and government funded researchers that conducted this study. I do know that my grandfather was a schizophrenic though. I also know he was a heavy smoker. Although, ultimately it was the schizophrenia that did him in at the age of 88. He died with a purple heart, a bronze star, 2 sons, a daughter, and many admirers. I can only imagine how much better his life would have been without his social burdens and government-enforced aid restrictions. I might even have more than just one memory of him as well.

 

[Lessifer]

I would love to read the actual study, but from the article it sounds like they're making assumptions based on epidemiological data, which can only show correlation, not causation. Couple that with the fact that schizophrenia often starts around puberty, and can go unreported for years prior to diagnosis, and I don't understand how these researchers don't lose their tenure.