4 ms·
I don't think this paper actually disentangles the causation direction. It's just another study showing that people with mental problems tend to like smoking. T
by superkuh 3y ago
I don't think this paper actually disentangles the causation direction. It's just another study showing that people with mental problems tend to like smoking. The 20 year gap between starting smoking and hospitalization they're talking about leaves a lot to be desired.
The most surprising thing to me is that they managed to find an n=131,140 of people in the system with enough genetic testing coverage to calculate the polygenetic scores for the smoking models they used. That many people had detailed gene sequencing done and in accessible public databases?
- jjgreen 3y ago[flagged]
- gabereiser 3y agoCorrelation does not equal causation. Smokers aren’t all schizophrenics and not all schizophrenics are smokers.
- jjgreen 3y agoYou misstate your truism: "correlation does not imply causation". Which is true. But in either case, you then deny correlation, so not relevant. In my personal experience, most schizophrenics smoke like bastards.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y agoBy all accounts, smoking is (at least early on, before your lungs rot out of your chest) pleasant. I would think the mentally healthy would enjoy it too. What would account for the selection effect here? Is there some smoking initiation mechanism that could account for it?
- kochikame 3y agoSmoking cigarettes is first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism. It’s no surprise that those given to overly worrying and fretting would smoke. To use your words, the mentally healthy don’t need it
- drewcoo 3y ago> Smoking cigarettes is first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism Citation? I know Bernays convinced everyone that they were "freedom torches," but I suppose freedom might be first and foremost an anxiety suppression mechanism.
- stev-0 3y agoI know another anecdote won’t help you but when I read this it immediately rang true to me. > Smoking cigarettes is first and formost an anxiety suppression mechanism This describes my experience pretty well.
- NoMoreNicksLeft 3y agoI'm not entirely certain I can agree with a definition of mental health that hints at the healthy being living spartan lifestyles of consuming only what they need and not an iota more. They never overeat? Never drink? They don't indulge in entertainment (simply not needed)? Given how addictive smoking is, it seems like they'd only have to try it once. Which tends to happen in youth, and I don't think the high-schoolers are running around searching for anxiety suppression mechanisms.
- insickness 3y agoAt this point, everyone understands that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. The people who still engage in it, or who take it up, are those willing to sacrifice their physical health for stimulation. That type of behavior is exhibited in mentally less healthy people such as those with addictive personalities.