According to a new report, expenditure on NHS Stop Smoking Services has risen by nearly £10 million to £61 million in 2007/08.

The report also shows that over 680,000 people set a date to give up smoking through the NHS Stop Smoking Services in 2007/08, up 13% from the previous year. Of these, 52% managed to stay off cigarettes at the time of their four week follow-up.

The majority of people who tried to give up smoking used nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), while 14% received the smoking cessation drug varenicline (Champix).

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According to an article on the Guardian, the number of people admitted to hospital in England with mental illnesses linked to use of illegal drugs has doubled in the past decade. Figures show that 38,170 adults and children were admitted with drug-related mental and behavioural disorders in 2006-2007, an increase of 101% since 1996-1997.

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said: “More than twice as many young men were admitted as young women, which suggests men may be more likely to self-medicate with illicit drugs to manage their emotional distress.”

The figures show that men accounted for 79% of the 1,573 deaths from illicit drug use in England and Wales in 2006.

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According to a survey, conducted by the charity Rethink, of more than 3000 mental health service users, 87% reported the negative impact of stigma on their lives. Research found that nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems have been affected by stigma and discrimination, with two thirds saying they have stopped doing things because of the stigma they face.

Rethink reported: “Stigma stops people with mental health problems from doing everyday things such as applying for jobs, making new friends, and going out to pubs and shops. It can even prevent people from reporting a crime”.

An article on the Guardian highlighted this with reference to employment: “One-third of people with mental health problems report having been dismissed or forced to resign, and, according to a report published in 2004 by the Social Exclusion Unit, just 24% of people with long-term mental health problems are in employment, despite them having the highest “want to work” rate of any group.”

According to the charity Rethink, the message service users want to convey, is: “We are people. See me, not the illness.” It is stigma that makes this difficult.