**From the AMA Wire
Forty percent.
That’s the percentage of cigarettes consumed in the United States that are smoked by people with mental illness. It’s a significant reason why people with mental illnesses and substance-abuse problems account for nearly half—46 percent—of the nation’s 435,000 annual tobacco-related deaths.
Hundreds of thousands of these patients are dying each year not from their illnesses, but because of their tobacco use. Research shows that patients with mental illnesses and substance-abuse disorders are nicotine dependent at rates two to three times higher than the general population. By helping these patients stop using tobacco, physicians can help them not only live longer but ultimately recover from their illnesses.
Tobacco cessation needs to be a priority for all physicians who treat patients with mental illnesses and substance-abuse disorders, and a new resource from the AMA can help. An online module, “Smoking Cessation in Special Populations,” can help physicians work tobacco cessation into treatment plans for these patients.
The module features a video that dispels the myths associated with smoking cessation in these patients and points out barriers to managing their tobacco dependence. Among those barriers are that physicians are so focused on patients’ specific illnesses that they don’t have time to address tobacco use with them. These patients also tend to have more withdrawal symptoms and are at an increased risk for a relapse.
The module also offers counseling tips and strategies that doctors can use with these populations as well as several supporting reports and papers that cover specific aspects of the issue. It is an important tool in helping patients with mental illnesses and substance-abuse problems live healthier—and longer.