People who smoke have a higher risk of committing suicide and policies to reduce smoking reduce suicide rates , according to new research carried out by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (USA) and that It has been published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research .
For their research, the experts analyzed suicide data between 1990 and 2004 , concluding that the average annual suicide rate was around 14 deaths per 100,000 people. They also collected data from individual states that had taken different initiatives to tax cigarette smoking and limit when and where smoking was allowed.
The researchers say that suicide rates fell by as much as 15% in countries that had implemented higher taxes on tobacco, as well as introduced stricter policies to limit cigarette smoking in public places .
“Our analysis showed that every dollar of increase in tobacco taxes was associated with a 10% decrease in the risk of suicide; indoor smoking bans were also associated with risk reductions, ”says study leader Richard A. Grucza.
Despite the fact that people who smoke have a higher risk of suicide is common knowledge for the scientific community, the association that the simple act of smoking can increase the risk of psychiatric disorders that can influence the risk of suicide , is a novelty.
“You have to take a closer look at the effects of tobacco and nicotine , not just on physical health, but on mental health as well. We don’t know exactly how smoking influences suicide risk. It could be that it affects depression or increases addiction to other substances. We do not know how smoking exerts these effects, but the numbers clearly show that something does ”, clarifies the expert.
