Smoking and schizophrenia:  the good and the bad side of it
It has been again and again proved that schizophrenic patients are more prone to developing the habit of smoking than the others. Even among the psychiatric population, those with schizophrenia have been always known to smoke the most. The rate of smoking has been accounted at about 75% to 80%, as according to various studies conducted on this issue. Smoking is also highly prevalent among patients of depression and the bipolar disorder that are other psychiatric diseases, affecting the moods and the attitude as well as the thinking pattern of the patients.

Many a times in the past, when the question of this connection between nicotine and schizophrenia was raised, it was concluded that schizophrenia patients tend to smoke more than the others because it could help in reducing the problem of stiffness in the muscle movements that is known to be a common side effect when one is on the older form of anti-psychotic medications. However, the more recent researches have thrown light to some other views too. According to the researchers, nicotine can actually correct the genetic defects found in schizophrenic patients. This defect is nothing but the abnormality that impairs their capacity to shut out off their minds and focus stimuli in the surrounding environment that is not relevant enough. For instance, any sound or sight that does not hold much importance generally goes unnoticed by the normal people. But those with schizophrenia find themselves unable to do so. In fact, on the other hand they begin to feel agitated and quite overwhelmed too by even the tiniest of things that surrounds them.

As a part of their therapies, the schizophrenic patients are made to sit down in quiet rooms where they do not get agitated by sound or sights. Therefore, it is obvious that when smoking can actually cure this sort of a nicotine defect, it can be regarded as quite beneficial in way for the patient’s mental peace. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the antipsychotic drugs can do the same job for bringing relief to the patients. Therefore, in many of the cases, it has even been observed that the patients tend to quit their smoking habits once they are put through the treatment procedure. While the drugs work their way through the brain dealing with the nicotine deficit problem, the patients are kept in smoke free wards, where they can easily get rid of their addictions.

It is therefore a much wiser decision to take the correct medications when one is suffering from schizophrenia rather than depending on smoking habits. After all, no body can deny the fact that smoking in the end of the day does a lot more harm to the health than good. For instance tobacco can not only have adverse effects on lungs when smoked, it can also call for diseases like cancer, cataracts, strokes, heart diseases, and even osteoporosis, which in turn effects the smoker’s life span quite significantly.