Yet another reason to not light up. A landmark new study from London indicates that smoking cigarettes may actually cause schizophrenia.

The Independent Online has published reports from a study done by a team from Kings College London. The research followed statistical data taken from 61 studies and nearly 300,000 people. In a staggering result, they learned that people with psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia were three times more likely to be smokers. The team also found that 57% of people being treated for their first psychotic event were smokers and that daily smokers suffered their first psychotic event a full year earlier than non-smokers.

The research indicates that the fact that people with psychotic mental disorders are more likely to smoke doesn’t mean that they are smoking to deal with their disorder, as previously thought, but that their smoking may actually influence their disorder.

Schizophrenia in particular is not yet completely understood. However, scientists believe there is a very strong link between the disorder and the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for the brain’s ability to process emotion, such as pleasure.

One of the head researchers, Professor Sir Robin Murray, explained that, “Excess dopamine is the best biological explanations we have for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. It is possible that nicotine exposure, by increasing the release of dopamine, causes psychosis to develop.”

While it is nearly impossible to scientifically prove that smoking causes psychosis, the study makes a strong case for targeting public health initiatives encouraging breaking the habit to people with mental illness.