Background: In 2011, outpatient smoking cessation treatment began being offered at our hospital, and 181 nicotine- dependent patients were examined by June 2014, 39 of whom had concurrent mental disorders. Eighteen of the 39 patients were examined between January 2011 and September 2012. They received outpatient smoking cessation treatment through a 12-week programme, in accordance with the standard procedures for smoking cessation treatment. Because the success rate for quitting smoking was low (16.7%), we tried a smoking cessation programme co-ordinated with the regular psychiatrists of 21 patients examined between October 2012 and June 2014. The purpose was to improve success rates for quitting smoking. We hereby report our findings on the efficacy of this programme.
Methods: Between January 2011 and June 2014, 39 patients with concurrent mental disorders were examined for outpatient smoking cessation treatment at our hospital. Subjects were divided into a group of 18 patients from before September 2012 (Group A: no co-ordination with psychiatrist) and a group of 21 patients from Oc tober 2012 onwards (Group B: co-ordination with psychiatrist). We investigated smoking status, programme success rates and quitting smoking success rates. Co-ordinating with a psychiatrist involved contacting the patient’s regular psychiatrist at the initial exam, regarding whether outpatient smoking cessation treatment was possible and obtaining advice regarding caution points during treatment. Patients were requested to visit their psychiatrist multiple times over the course of five treatment sessions. Each time, the psychiatrist confirmed the patient’s mental state and considered adjusting their medication for mental disorders.
Results: Smoking cessation treatment was discontinued for three patients in Group B after being indicated as mentally unstable by their psychiatrists when first contacted at the initial exam. The success rate for quitting smoking, which was 16.7% in Group A, improved to 66.1% in Group B.
Conclusion: Results indicated that while providing outpatient smoking cessation treatment to nicotinedependent patients with mental disorders, close co-ordination with the patient’s psychiatrist is effective in improving the quitting smoking success rate. Having patients undergo both outpatient smoking cessation treatment and psychiatric examinations increases opportunities for early side effects detection of smoking cessation aids and the exacerbation of mental disorders, therefore, helping improve the safety of smoking cessation treatment.

View full abstract