Tobacco and Mental Health

Behavioral Health

Background

Individuals who live with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders are twice as likely to smoke as other people and consume 44 percent of all cigarettes smoked in America. When seeking mental health treatment, heavy smokers report substantially poorer well-being, greater symptom burden, and more functional disability compared to non-smokers. Individuals with mental health conditions should be asked if they are smokers and advised to quit, and identified smokers should have smoking cessation integrated into their overall treatment plan.

Web Resources

Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC)
SCLC builds partnerships between behavioral health and tobacco cessation services to increase nicotine dependence treatment resources in communities.

Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network (TCLN)
TCLN’s “Bringing Everyone Along” project provides resources to assist health professionals adapt their treatment services to the unique needs of tobacco users with mental health and substance use disorders.

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
The NAMI Hearts & Minds program is an online, interactive, educational initiative promoting smoking cessation and other healthy choices for those who live with mental illness.

Fact Sheets

Facts About Smoking and Mental Health Disorders – SCLC

Smoking and Mental Illness – NAMI

Video

NAMI Hearts and Minds—Quitting Smoking

Helping People with Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Quit Smoking—University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention

Toolkits

Tobacco Treatment for Persons with Substance Use Disorders - Signal BHN
A smoking cessation toolkit for substance abuse treatment providers.

Smoking Cessation for Persons with Mental Illnesses - CU Denver
A smoking cessation toolkit for mental health providers.

Tobacco-Free Toolkit for Community Health Facilities - CU Denver
A policy toolkit for creating a tobacco-free environment in public health care organizations and treatment facilities.

Tobacco-Free Living in Psychiatric Settings - NASMHPD
A best practice toolkit for creating a tobacco-free psychiatric setting.

Intensive Tobacco Dependence Intervention: Persons Challenged by Mental Illness - URMC
A tobacco dependence intervention manual written by nurses for nurses.

Resource Guide for Health Professionals Providing Tobacco Cessation Services for People with Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders - TCLN
A resource guide providing recommendations for a variety of health professionals in different settings.

Policy

NASMHPD Position Statement on Smoking Policy and Treatment at State Operated Psychiatric Hospitals

APNA Position Statement on Psychiatric Nurses as Champions for Smoking Cessation

ATTUD Position Statement on Integrating Tobacco Treatment within Behavioral Health

Research

Smoking Policies and Practices in State Psychiatric Facilities: Survey Results from 2011 New

An online survey of tobacco use, intentions to quit, and cessation strategies among people living with bipolar disorder

Depression, Smoking, and Heart Disease: How Can Psychiatrists Be Effective?

Primary Care Providers Advising Smokers to Quit: Comparing Effectiveness Between Those With and Without Alcohol, Drug, or Mental Disorders

Smoking and Mental Illness — Breaking the Link

A Hidden Epidemic: Tobacco and Mental Illness

A Hidden Epidemic

Treating tobacco dependence in clinically depressed smokers: Effect of smoking cessation on mental health functioning

Tobacco use among individuals with schizophrenia: what role has the tobacco industry played?

Failure to treat tobacco use in mental health and addiction treatment settings: A form of harm reduction?

Smoking characteristics of adults with selected lifetime mental illnesses: Results from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey

A comprehensive model for mental health tobacco recovery in New Jersey

A Comprehensive report: Tobacco use among consumers of services of the Missouri Department of Mental Health

Confronting a Neglected Epidemic: Tobacco Cessation for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Substance Abuse Problems

From action to quit page

Smoking and Mental Illness

People with mental illness are two to four times as likely to smoke as those without mental illness. Patients with mental illnesses can successfully quit.

Use these resources to help your patients and to learn more about tobacco use and mental illness.

Bringing Everyone Along -- A resource guide to help health care professionals adapt tobacco cessation services to the unique needs of tobacco users with mental illness and substance use disorders.
(61-page PDF file; About PDFs)

How to Provide Tobacco Cessation Treatment to Patients with Mental Illness -- Listen to this free AAFP "Ask the Expert" podcast to find out what types of treatment are most effective for this underserved population.

The National Mental Health Partnership for Wellness and Smoking Cessation -- Web site offers an overview of the partnership and links to presentations, tool kits and articles.

Smoking Cessation for Persons with Mental Illnesses -- A toolkit from the Colorado Department of Public Health offers step-by-step instructions providers can follow to help their patients quit smoking.
(55-page PDF file; About PDFs)

Facts About Smoking and Mental Health Disorders -- A fact sheet from the Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network.

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/clinical/publichealth/tobacco/mentalhealth.html