Crazy People & Cigarettes

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The results of a 2000 Harvard study:

"Nearly half of all cigarettes purchased in the United States are smoked by people who suffer from mental illnesses, according to Harvard Medical School research.

"The researchers found that a person who had suffered from a mental illness during the month before the interview or at some time in the past was more likely to smoke or have smoked in the past. In fact, those who reported a mental illness during the prior month were nearly three times as likely to be current smokers as
those who didn't have a mental illness.

"From the survey, the scientists estimated that 44.3% of the cigarettes smoked in the United States are smoked by the mentally ill..."

This last estimate is staggering. Apparently they're used as rewards to be granted or withheld by hospital staff for behavior programs. I guess when you're hearing voices in you don't worry about cancer.

It's funny that "The Truth" campaign focuses on the evils of ethnic marketing... the tobacco companies should come up with a brand just for the mentally ill... maybe "Napoleon Lights"?

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

There's this story as well suggesting a link between anger and smoking. This kinda makes sense to me.

― Bryan (Bryan), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Smoking calms me down ... for like an hour usually.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I think stronger than the crazy-ergo-ambivalent to cancer premise is that people with mental illness are very often unemployed and have a lot of idle time. Which makes quitting VERY difficult. And leads to chain-smoking.

― My Huckleberry Friend (Horace Mann), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

What's the definition of mental illness that's in use here though? Do relatively common things like depression and ADD etc count? Cause if they do, then that's probably a similar proportion of all Americans that are "mentally ill". I mean, this stat about smokers means nothing without the correlating one about the rest of the population. It's being implied that this one is outrageously higher, but they don't bother to tell us by how much? The rest of the study is urgent and key - where is it?

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:25 (twenty-two years ago)

That would explain ILX's success.

(xpost)

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, it seems like every other day there's a new study out proclaiming "75% of white females between the age of 17 and 46 may have undiagnosed cases of bipolar disorder" so if we're going by modern studies, ultimately 99% of the american populace is "mentally ill".
double xpost

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Here is an older LA times article, and I remember hearing about it on the radio. I'm sure the study is published somewhere online.

http://www.no-smoking.org/nov00/11-22-00-1.html

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, this sounds quite accurate according to my acute observations of everyday life. And yes, people are ill fuckin' sickos, alright.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:33 (twenty-two years ago)

A better link:

http://www.lorenbennett.org/nmentallyilaresmokers.htm

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I want to print this thread out, roll it up and smoke it.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I'D REALLY FUCKING LIKE A CIGARETTE.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"What's the definition of mental illness that's in use here though?"

"She and her colleagues employed standard psychiatric definitions of mental illness that included major depression, bipolar disorder, agoraphobia, social and simple phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse and dependence, antisocial personality, conduct disorder and nonaffective psychosis..."

Those sound like nutcases to me.

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Or a fucking cigarette.

Post-coital cigarette?

I digress.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I'D REALLY LIKE FUCKING A CIGARETTE

xpost

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks andy, those help.

Hopefully this doesn't come off as flip, but the fact that alcohol abuse is in there lessens the staggering factor just a little though - I mean, it's a great thing that they've figured out that the people who drink a lot also are more likely to smoke. No one could have predicted that.

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

It looks like this study may not have included schizophrenics in their sample, but I remember reading something about how one possible reason schizophrenics in particular tend to smoke so much might have to do with how nicotine affects dopamine receptors, which a lot of people think is the thing that's fucked up in many schizophrenics. Like, it actually sort of helps them control their psychosis to smoke so much.

― Dan I., Thursday, 19 February 2004 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, the alcohol abusers could definitely swing the ratio...

I would consider anyone who engages in unusual sex to be completely fucking crazy as well, and alot of them smoke.

(By unusual, I mean "For Pleasure")

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

as opposed to compulsively and bitterly reenacting the primal scene?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

confirmation that I R CRAZEE MUTHAFUCKA

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha "people with stress and mental issues tend to abuse substances" shocker. Next up, the exclusive study: only women have babies in their tummies, not men!!!

― Allyzay, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.culturalianet.com/imatges/articulos/3539-1.jpg

Maybe you're the crazy one, ALLY.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not gonna believe that one untile a qualified scientist tells me so, Ally.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Devito isn't qualified?!!?!?!?! Scientists should study this thread.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:39 (twenty-two years ago)

WHERE'S BATMAN WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

― Allyzay, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

The ass babies of science. Delicious.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:43 (twenty-two years ago)

qualified scientist = has produced at least a few sciences in his life.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Does disco science count? Because I'm pretty sure Mirwais isn't doing anything right now.

― Allyzay, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/49238.1020.A.jpg

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Goddamn. I'm in sick awe. And look at that cast!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I would like to state, for the record, that our sample set of hollywood films is so far 100% correct in proving that men have babies and women do not.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

... which now makes women obsolete.

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Now I don't feel so bad about lingering in the steam room at the Y for hours on end... Do I?

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:53 (twenty-two years ago)

"inconceivably funny"

oh, those scamps!

― Kim (Kim), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, dude, I'm down with that, I didn't want to get all stretch marky anyway.

― Allyzay, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Alice Ghostley! George Gobel! Those were the days. [/geezer]

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/2000/Cook/Pregnant%20Sea%20Horse.gif

"The males are pregnant for several weeks before giving birth to their brood (Vincent, et. al 1992). When they prepare to give birth, the pouch extends to an almost spherical shape. The male also undergoes muscular contortions - a forward and a backward bend - that last for about ten minutes. then in an explosive action the brood leaves the pouch. After the last young sea horse has left, the pouch returns to its normal position, which usually takes about an hour (Breder 1940). Males are ready to re-mate within a few hours of giving birth (Vincent, et. al 1992)..."

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

is tom poston that guy who played the handyman on "newhart"?

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 19 February 2004 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, think so.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Thursday, 19 February 2004 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Rosie Grier!

Joan Rivers is looking good in that pic.

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Thursday, 19 February 2004 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

http://thirdrate.com/misc/sluts/341.jpg

― andy, Thursday, 19 February 2004 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm crazy .. for her!

― dean! (deangulberry), Thursday, 19 February 2004 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

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