Young people with mental health issues start smoking earlier and longer than those who don’t have those issues and researchers are working to understand not only why but how to reduce the amount of smoking by young people with mental illness.
AFFIRM is funding an early career researcher working at the University of NSW National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health to study this often over looked area in mental health care.
This research is vital for averting a lifetime of health, social and financial burden to the community as the consequences of smoking are known to cause heart disease, stroke and lung disease, among other medical problems.