psychiatry.jpgNASMHPD POSITION STATEMENT ON SMOKING POLICY AND TREATMENT AT STATE OPERATED PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS

Silently and insidiously tobacco sales and tobacco smoking became an accepted way of life not only in our society, but also in our public mental health treatment facilities.

 

Revenue from sales of tobacco provides discretionary income for facilities. Smoke breaks became an ‘entitlement’, deserved and protected, and are one of the only times consumers can practice relating to each other and staff in a ‘normalized’ way.

 

When, what, and how much to smoke are often the only choices consumers make as inpatients, reinforcing cigarette use by virtue of the autonomy it appears to allow. More troubling, cigarettes used as positive/negative reinforcement by staff to control consumer behavior.

 

While taking seriously and treating illicit drug use by those with mental illness for some time, a substance far more deadly and pervasive, and used disproportionately by this population, has largely been ignored.

And now, a few words about tobacco. It Kills. And, it kills those with mental illness disproportionately and earlier, as the leading contributor of disease and early death in this population.


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