A new study by Washington University suggests that chemicals found in cigarettes may increase the risk of suicide. Therefore, with high cigarette taxes discouraging people from purchasing tobacco, suicide rates may decrease.

The findings, published in "Nicotine & Tobacco Research", suggested that nicotine found in tobacco may trigger or worsen psychiatric disorders. 

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Statistical data for the study was gathered from U.S. states, comparing those that have raised taxes on tobacco and banned smoking in public versus those that have not implemented any restrictions on tobacco consumption.

Between 1990 and 2004, several individual states took aggressive steps to discourage smoking. The study's research team analyzed the National Center for Health Statistics' US death records during this period and paid close attention to those who took their own lives.

Researchers found that compared to the national average, there was an estimated 15 percent decline in suicide rates for states that had strict anti-tobacco policies. On the other hand, more lenient states with low cigarette taxes had 6 percent more cases of suicide than the rest of the country.

Since 2004, Illinois, New York and California have banned smoking in public.

Although it is yet to be determined how smoking actually increases the risk of suicide, it was concluded that tobacco is not only detrimental to a person's physical well-being, but to his mental health as well.

"Although scientists have known for years that people who smoke have a higher risk for suicide, they had assumed the risk was related to the psychiatric disorders that affect many smokers," said Richard Grucza, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University.

The new findings, he said, suggest that smoking may aggravate psychiatric disorders which, in turn, can influence suicide risks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

TagsCigarettes, Cigarette Tax, Tobacco, Tobacco Tax, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine, Nicotine and Tobacco Research