1273 – Addictive behaviour in an acute mental health unit (granada, southern spain)

Abstract

From last March 2011 until now we have implemented in our Acute Mental Health Unit the Law 42/30-12-2010. This law regulates the existence of free-smoke places. We have collected the data of the smokers patients that began the process of detoxification. We evaluated their level of dependence (Fargestrom's test), their motivation to smoke and the abstinence syndrome intensity. At three months of their hospital discharge we measured the abstinence from smoking in these patients. A total of 31 patients were assessed, 22 out of them were treated with patches of nicotine (14 men, 8 women) age range 18 -57 years; 9 out of 31 smokers patients did not use substitutive treatment (6 men, 3 women) age range 22 - 48 years. At three months, only 2 patients kept the tobacco abstinence (6.4%) and another patient more had reduced the consumption approximately to the half. Six month later only one of them kept abstinent. We understand the necessary promotion and the prevention of the physical health in our patients, avoiding the consumption of toxic substances as far as possible. It is crucial to improve the efficacy of the interventions aimed at to quit tobacco consumption. However, the abandon of an addiction should have a fundamentally voluntary character. The addictions in our patients are chronic and recurrent, and they should be approached from a longitudinal perspective including in its treatment plan.