Correlates of nicotine withdrawal severity in smokers during a smoke-free psychiatric hospitalization.

Psychiatric hospitals are increasingly adopting smoke-free policies. Tobacco use is common among persons with mental illness, and nicotine withdrawal (NW), which includes symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger/irritability, and sleep disturbance, may confound psychiatric assessment and treatment in the inpatient setting. This study aimed to characterize NW and correlates of NW severity in a sample of smokers hospitalized for treatment of mental illness in California. Participants (N=754) were enrolled between 2009 and 2013, and averaged 17 (SD=10) cigarettes/day prior to hospitalization. Though most (70%) received nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during hospitalization, a majority (65%) reported experiencing moderate to severe NW. In a general linear regression model, NW symptoms were more severe for women, African American patients, and polysubstance abusers. Though invariant by psychiatric diagnostic category, greater NW was associated with more severe overall psychopathology and greater cigarette dependence. The full model explained 46% of the total variation in NW symptom severity (F [19, 470]=23.03 p<0.001). A minority of participants (13%) refused NRT during hospitalization. Those who refused NRT reported milder cigarette dependence and stated no prior use of NRT. Among smokers hospitalized for mental illness, NW severity appears multidetermined, related to cigarette dependence, demographic variables, psychiatric symptom severity, and other substance use. Assessment and treatment of NW in the psychiatric hospital is clinically warranted and with extra attention to groups that may be more vulnerable or naïve to cessation pharmacotherapy.

Smokers with serious mental illness and requests for nicotine replacement therapy post-hospitalisation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Smoke-free psychiatric hospitalisation provides opportunity for initiating tobacco cessation treatment. The current study reports on psychiatric patients' interest in continuing nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) posthospitalisation and examines patient predictors of NRT requests, quit attempts and abstinence at 1-week follow-up. METHODS: Daily smokers were recruited and interviewed on locked psychiatric units at three smoke-free San Francisco Bay Area hospitals. Intent to quit smoking was not required to participate and 73% of eligible smokers enrolled. Analyses focused on 816 participants (49% female) randomised to interventions providing counselling tailored to readiness to quit with availability of NRT posthospitalisation. Logistic regressions tested demographic, smoking and psychiatric factors predictive of NRT requests, quit attempts and abstinence 1-week postdischarge. RESULTS: Participants averaged 17 (SD=10) cigarettes/day for an average of 19 (SD=14) years. Most (88%) requested study-provided NRT (74% right at discharge). Participants preparing to quit and those with more severe psychiatric symptoms were more likely to request NRT at discharge (p<0.01). Those with more severe psychiatric symptoms also were more likely to request NRT refill, as were older participants (p<0.05). Participants who requested NRT at discharge were more likely to make a 24 h quit attempt and self-report abstinence at the 1-week follow-up (54% quit attempt, 14% abstinent) than participants who did not (25% quit attempt, 4% abstinent) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The great demand for NRT and the association between NRT use with quit attempts and abstinence at 1-week posthospitalisation supports adoption of tobacco treatment in acute psychiatric settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: # NCT00968513.

Gender differences in a randomized controlled trial treating tobacco use among adolescents and young adults with mental health concerns.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of tobacco use in mental health settings is rare despite high rates of comorbidity. With a focus on early intervention, we evaluated a tobacco treatment intervention among adolescents and young adults recruited from outpatient, school-based, and residential mental health settings and tested for gender differences. METHODS: Intervention participants received computerized motivational feedback at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months and were offered 12 weeks of cessation counseling and nicotine patches. Usual care participants received a self-help guide and brief cessation advice. We examined 7-day point prevalence abstinence with biochemical confirmation at 3, 6, and 12 months; smoking reduction; and 24-hr quit attempts. RESULTS: At baseline, the sample (N = 60, 52% female, mean age = 19.5±2.9 years, 40% non-Hispanic Caucasian) averaged 7±6 cigarettes/day, 62% smoked daily, 38% smoked ≤ 30 min of waking, 12% intended to quit in the next month, 47% had a parent who smoked, and 3 of 5 of participants' closest friends smoked on average. During the 12-month study, 47% of the sample reduced their smoking, 80% quit for 24 hr, and 11%, 13%, and 17% confirmed 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up, respectively, with no differences by treatment condition (ps > .400). Over time, abstinence was greater among girls (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 8.9) than among boys, and abstinence was greater for lighter smokers than heavier smokers (AOR = 4.5) (p < .05). No mental health or other measured variables predicted abstinence. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent and young adult smokers with mental health concerns are a challenging group to engage and to effectively treat for tobacco addiction, particularly heavier smokers and boys. Innovative approaches are needed.

Tobacco use and its treatment among young people in mental health settings: a qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Youth with psychiatric disorders are at increased risk of tobacco use. Outpatient mental health settings have received little investigation for delivering tobacco treatment. This study obtained formative data to guide development of a tobacco cessation program for transitional age youth with co-occurring psychiatric disorders with a focus on outpatient mental health settings. METHODS: Applying qualitative methods, we analyzed transcripts from interviews with 14 mental health clients (aged 16-23) and 8 mental health providers. RESULTS: The youth identified internal (nicotine addiction and mood), social, parental, and media influences to their use of tobacco. Providers' viewed youth tobacco use as a normative developmental process, closely tied to management of psychiatric symptoms, supported by parents, and of lower priority relative to youth alcohol and illicit drug use. Youth and providers believed that clinicians can do more to address tobacco use in practice and emphasized nonjudgmental support and nondirective approaches. Top recommended quitting strategies, however, differed notably for the youth (cold turkey, support from friends, physical activity, hobbies) and providers (cessation pharmacotherapy, cessation groups, treatment referrals). CONCLUSIONS: Mental health providers' greater prioritization of other substances and view of youth smoking as developmentally normative and a coping strategy for psychopathology are likely contributing to the general lack of attention to tobacco use currently. Integrating care within mental health settings would serve to reach youth in an arena where clinical rapport is already established, and study findings suggest receptivity for system improvements. Of consideration, however, is the apparent disconnect between provider and youth recommended strategies for supporting cessation.

Multiple risk-behavior profiles of smokers with serious mental illness and motivation for change.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are dying on average 25 years prematurely. The leading causes are chronic preventable diseases. In the context of a tobacco-treatment trial, this exploratory study examined the behavioral risk profiles of adults with SMI to identify broader interventional needs. METHOD: Recruited from five acute inpatient psychiatry units, participants were 693 adult smokers (recruitment rate = 76%, 50% male, 45% Caucasian, age M = 39, 49% had income < $10,000) diagnosed with mood disorders (71%), substance-use disorders (63%), posttraumatic stress disorder (39%), psychotic disorders (25%), and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (25%). The Staging Health Risk Assessment, the primary measure used in this study, screened for risk status and readiness to change 11 health behaviors, referencing the period prior to acute hospitalization. RESULTS: Participants averaged 5.2 (SD = 2.1) risk behaviors, including smoking (100%), high-fat diet (68%), inadequate fruits/vegetables (67%), poor sleep (53%), physical inactivity (52%), and marijuana use (46%). The percent prepared to change ranged from 23% for tobacco and marijuana to 76% for depression management. Latent class analysis differentiated three risk groups: the global higher risk group included patients elevated on all risk behaviors; the global lower risk group was low on all risks; and a mood and metabolic risk group, characterized by inactivity, unhealthy diet, sleep problems, and poor stress and depression management. The global higher risk group (11% of sample) was younger, largely male, and had the greatest number of risk behaviors and mental health diagnoses; had the most severe psychopathologies, addiction-treatment histories, and nicotine dependence; and the lowest confidence for quitting smoking and commitment to abstinence. CONCLUSION: Most smokers with SMI engaged in multiple risks. Expanding targets to treat co-occurring risks and personalizing treatment to individuals' multibehavioral profiles may increase intervention relevance, interest, and impact on health.

PTSD symptomatology and readiness to quit smoking among women with serious mental illness.

INTRODUCTION: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a risk factor for tobacco addiction. The majority of research on PTSD and smoking has been conducted with men, particularly combat veterans, and little is known about the association among women. In a clinical sample of women civilian smokers with serious mental illness (SMI), we examined the prevalence of PTSD symptomatology and associations with physical and mental health functioning, co-occurring substance use, nicotine dependence, and readiness to quit smoking. METHODS: 376 adult women smokers aged 18-73 were recruited from 7 acute inpatient psychiatry units and screened by diagnostic interview for current PTSD symptomatology (PTSD(+)). In multiple regressions, we examined the associations of screening PTSD(+) with physical and mental health functioning; past-month drug use; past-year substance use disorders; nicotine dependence and readiness to quit smoking. RESULTS: Nearly half the sample (43%) screened PTSD(+), which was significantly associated with the use of stimulants (OR=1.26) and opiates (OR=1.98), drug use disorders (OR=2.01), and poorer mental health (B=-2.78) but not physical health functioning. PTSD(+) status was unrelated to nicotine dependence, but predicted greater desire to quit smoking (B=2.13) and intention to stop smoking in the next month (OR=2.21). In multivariate models that adjusted for substance use disorders, physical and mental health functioning, and nicotine dependence, screening PTSD(+) remained predictive of greater desire and intention to quit smoking. CONCLUSION: PTSD symptomatology was common in our sample of women smokers with SMI and associated with not only worse substance use and mental health, but also greater readiness to quit smoking, suggesting the need for and potential interest in integrative PTSD-addiction treatment among women.

Correlates of tobacco dependence and motivation to quit among young people receiving mental health treatment.

BACKGROUND: Young people with mental health concerns are at high-risk for initiation and continuation of tobacco use. To inform treatment needs, the current study sought to describe tobacco dependence, motivations to quit and associated sociodemographic factors among young people seen in mental health settings. METHODS: Sixty adolescent and young adult smokers (age mean=19.5 years, range 13-25) receiving outpatient mental health treatment completed measures of tobacco dependence, motivation to quit smoking, mental health, and social environmental factors. RESULTS: Participants averaged 8.0 cigarettes per day (SD=6.6) and moderate nicotine dependence (mFTQ M=4.8, SD=1.6). Participants' mean rating (10-point scales) of perceived difficulty with avoiding relapse during a quit attempt was significantly higher (M=6.7, SD=2.6), than ratings of desire (M=5.1, SD=2.6) and perceived success (M=4.6, SD=2.6) with quitting. Over half (52%) did not intend to quit smoking in the next 6 months, and few (11%) were prepared to quit in the next 30 days. Mental health treatment and symptomatology measures were unrelated to level of dependence or motivation to quit. Among the social environmental factors, having close friends who smoke was associated with greater perceived difficulty with avoiding relapse during a quit attempt (r=0.25, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of adolescent and young adult smokers in mental health treatment, moderate levels of tobacco dependence and motivation to quit were observed and found to be unrelated to mental health measures. Over half of the sample was not intending to quit smoking in the near future, supporting the need for treatment strategies aimed at increasing motivation.

Designing for dissemination: development of an evidence-based tobacco treatment curriculum for psychiatry training programs.

Psychiatry training programs provide a unique arena for affecting professional norms and increasing access to tobacco cessation services among smokers with mental illness. Psychiatry Rx for Change emphasizes evidence-based patient-oriented tobacco treatments relevant for tobacco users with psychiatric disorders. Following Diffusion of Innovations theory and the RE-AIM framework, the curriculum is being disseminated to psychiatry residency and graduate psychiatric nursing programs in the Western United States with plans to study curriculum adoption, implementation, and maintenance on a broad scale. Psychiatry Rx for Change aims to increase the likelihood that smokers with co-occurring disorders will receive evidence-based cessation treatment.

Evaluation of an evidence-based tobacco treatment curriculum for psychiatry residency training programs.

OBJECTIVE: Smokers with mental illness and addictive disorders account for nearly one in two cigarettes sold in the United States and are at high risk for smoking-related deaths and disability. Psychiatry residency programs provide a unique arena for disseminating tobacco treatment guidelines, influencing professional norms, and increasing access to tobacco cessation services among smokers with mental illness. The current study evaluated the Rx for Change in Psychiatry curriculum, developed for psychiatry residency programs and focused on identifying and treating tobacco dependence among individuals with mental illness. METHODS: The 4-hour curriculum emphasized evidence-based, patient-oriented cessation treatments relevant for all tobacco users, including those not yet ready to quit. The curriculum was informed by comprehensive literature review, consultation with an expert advisory group, faculty interviews, and a focus group with psychiatry residents. This study reports on evaluation of the curriculum in 2005-2006, using a quasi-experimental design, with 55 residents in three psychiatry residency training programs in Northern California. RESULTS: The curriculum was associated with improvements in psychiatry residents' knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and counseling behaviors for treating tobacco use among their patients, with initial changes from pre- to posttraining sustained at 3-months' follow-up. Residents' self-reported changes in treating patients' tobacco use were substantiated through systematic chart review. CONCLUSION: The evidence-based Rx for Change in Psychiatry curriculum is offered as a model tobacco treatment curriculum that can be implemented in psychiatry residency training programs and disseminated widely, thereby effectively reaching a vulnerable and costly population of smokers.

Addressing nicotine dependence in psychodynamic psychotherapy: perspectives from residency training.

OBJECTIVE: According to APA treatment recommendations, psychiatrists should assess and intervene in tobacco use with all of their patients who smoke. The ease with which this occurs may vary by treatment model. This study examined perspectives in residency training to identify a framework for addressing nicotine dependence within psychodynamic psychotherapy. METHOD: The authors collected data from a focus group of psychiatry residents and interviews with psychiatry residency faculty with expertise in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The transcribed interviews were analyzed for key themes and synthesized. RESULTS: Though the residents reported hesitancy to address patients' tobacco use, specifically in psychodynamic psychotherapy, the consensus from the expert faculty consultants was that tobacco interventions can and should be incorporated. The faculty provided suggestions, consistent with a psychodynamic formulation, for assessing patients' tobacco use and their interest in quitting, providing cessation treatment and/or referrals, and following up with patients to address relapse. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide a useful framework, consistent with a psychodynamic model, for assessing and treating tobacco use with patients. Additional training and supervision likely are needed to increase residents' confidence and comfort with implementing these strategies.

Training in tobacco treatments in psychiatry: a national survey of psychiatry residency training directors.

OBJECTIVE: Nicotine dependence is the most prevalent substance abuse disorder among adult psychiatric patients and is a leading cause of death and disability. This study examines training in tobacco treatment in psychiatry residency programs across the United States. METHOD: The authors recruited training directors to complete a survey of their program's curriculum related to tobacco treatment, attitudes related to treating tobacco in psychiatry, and perceptions of residents' skills for addressing nicotine dependence in psychiatric patients. RESULTS: Respondents were representative of the national pool. Half of the programs provided training in tobacco treatments for a median duration of 1 hour. Content areas covered varied greatly. Programs with tobacco-related training expressed more favorable attitudes toward addressing tobacco in psychiatry and were more likely to report confidence in their residents' skills for treating nicotine dependence. Programs without tobacco training reported a lack of faculty expertise on tobacco treatments. Most training directors reported moderate to high interest in evaluating a model tobacco curriculum for psychiatry and stated they would dedicate an average of 4 hours of curriculum time. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrate the need for and interest in a model tobacco treatment curriculum for psychiatry residency training. Training psychiatrists offers the potential of delivering treatment to one of the largest remaining groups of smokers: patients with mental disorders.

How prepared are psychiatry residents for treating nicotine dependence?

OBJECTIVE: Nicotine dependence is the most prevalent substance abuse disorder among adult psychiatric patients and a leading cause of death and disability. The authors examined the extent to which psychiatry residents are prepared to treat nicotine dependence in clinical practice. METHODS: Residents from five psychiatry residency programs in northern California completed an anonymous survey of their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding treating nicotine dependence among their patients. RESULTS: Respondents (N = 105, 60% female) represented all 4 years of residency training. Residents' smoking status was 11% current, 17% former, and 72% never. Knowledge scores averaged 54% correct. Confidence ratings averaged 3 (SD = 0.6) on a 5-point scale. Seventy six percent rated their overall ability to help patients quit using tobacco as fair or poor. The percent reporting often or always engaging in the National Cancer Institute's 5-A intervention for smoking cessation was: 58% ask; 29% advise; 17% assess; 18% assist; and 13% arrange follow up. Most residents reported none or inadequate tobacco cessation training during medical school (74%) or residency (79%), and nearly all (94%) reported moderate to high interest in learning more about helping patients quit smoking. CONCLUSION: Psychiatry residents appear unprepared to treat nicotine dependence, but report considerable interest in this area. The findings demonstrate the need for and interest in tobacco cessation curricula in psychiatry residency training.