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Smoking increases the risk of developing schizophrenia and depression, a report by academics from the University of Bristol published on 20 June claims. It says smoking raises the risk of developing schizophrenia by between 53 per cent and 127 per cent and the risk of developing depression by from 54 per cent to 132 per cent. The authors of the report say more research is needed to identify why this is the case and that more evidence is needed to understand its impact on other mental health conditions such as anxiety or bipolar disorder. The evidence, presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrist's international congress, has been shared with the government which is currently developing a new Tobacco Control Plan for publication later this year. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said: "Rates of smoking are much higher among people with mental health conditions than those without, and among England's six million smokers there are an estimated 230k smokers with severe mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder) and 1.6 million with depression and anxiety."