Tobacco use in youth with mental illnesses.

ABSTRACT

Despite an abundance of literature documenting the prevalence and dangers of youth tobacco use, there is a relative dearth of literature in the area of effective cessation treatments for youth (Fiore et al. in Clinical tobacco guideline treating tobacco use and dependence, 2008). Additionally, although it has been widely accepted that mental illness is highly correlated with tobacco use and dependence, little research has been done to support prevention and cessation efforts for youth with mental illnesses. This paper summarizes the literature on tobacco use and cessation in youth, with a focus on describing the existing knowledge base for youth with mental illnesses.