Exempting mental health units from smoke-free laws: Nicotine can have beneficial effects

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7567.551-b

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T Everett Julyan, specialist registrar in psychiatry (everett.julyan@nhs.net)

Crosshouse Hospital, Ayrshire KA2 0BE

EDITOR—Campion et al argue that psychiatric units should not be exempt from smoking bans, but they do not discuss several issues.1

Nicotine can have beneficial effects on mood, anxiety, and cognition, and it ameliorates some of the side effects of psychotropic drugs. Acute nicotine withdrawal can exacerbate psychiatric symptoms and cause diagnostic difficulty. Cigarette smoke also induces the metabolism of many different psychotropic drugs. …