Abstract
BackgroundDespite the fact that smoking is a crucial morbidity factor among psychiatric patients, little progress has been made in order to reduce smoking during psychiatric hospitalization.MethodsWe studied the smoking behaviour of patients admitted to a non-smoking psychiatric ward, after monitoring them for smoking habits and helping them cope in order to modify their smoking behaviour. For a period of 12 months, we conducted a prospective study of simple smoking avoidance measures in the 2nd Department of Psychiatry of Attikon University Hospital in Athens.ResultsFrom 330 admitted patients, 170 (51.5%) were smokers; they were monitored for their smoking habits and encouraged by the nursing staff to reduce smoking. The mean number of cigarettes per day (CPD) at admission was 32.2 (sd 22.1) and upon discharge 14.1 (sd 14.8) (t = 11.7, p < 0.001). Most of the smokers, 142 (83.5%), managed to reduce their cigarette consumption per day. Diagnosis did not affect the reduction or increase in CPD. The only factor that predicted reduction in CPD was the female sex.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that seriously mentally ill psychiatric inpatients despite negative preconceptions and stereotypes respond well to simple measures aiming to reduce their smoking and modify their behaviour.
Highlights
Despite the fact that smoking is a crucial morbidity factor among psychiatric patients, little progress has been made in order to reduce smoking during psychiatric hospitalization
Smoking is more prevalent in psychiatric patients than in the general population
Smokers who have schizophrenia consume more cigarettes, extract more nicotine per cigarette, prefer brands higher in nicotine, have higher blood nicotine levels and have lower success rates in attempts to stop smoking than smokers with no mental illness [1]
Summary
Despite the fact that smoking is a crucial morbidity factor among psychiatric patients, little progress has been made in order to reduce smoking during psychiatric hospitalization. Smoking is more prevalent in psychiatric patients than in the general population. Data from the National Comorbidity Study in the USA has shown that psychiatric patients smoke twice as often as the general population without mental disorders. People with psychiatric disorders consume almost half (43%) of the cigarettes smoked in the USA. Smokers who have schizophrenia consume more cigarettes, extract more nicotine per cigarette, prefer brands higher in nicotine, have higher blood nicotine levels and have lower success rates in attempts to stop smoking than smokers with no mental illness [1]. Hospital settings do not often aim or are equipped to help patients to quit smoking, missing out an opportunity to support patients at risk because of smoking complications [2]
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