Don’t Let Our Lives Go Up in Smoke “The Neglected Epidemic”

Agenda Who should be here? All of us! What we would like to do today Consumers, family and close friends Providers, psychiatrists, administrators, trainers, consultants What we would like to do today Hear from you – your thoughts and ideas Give you information on smoking and smoking cessation Brainstorm What we do not want to do Lecture you, tell you what to do, be critical or judgmental, run the show

A Public Health Crisis Evans, A.E. et al, (2015) Harvard Review of Psychiatry

What We Know About Tobacco Use Higher rates of smoking among people with the most intense behavioral health challenges have led to higher mortality and morbidity – hence, dying 25 years younger 19 diseases directly attributable to tobacco smoking (cardiovascular disease, cancers esp. lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, influenza, and pneumonia) There are 70 carcinogens found in cigarette smoke

What are some myths about tobacco use? Here is one: nicotine causes cancer Here is another: people who have serious mental heath problems don’t want to quit smoking And another: stopping smoking will result in increase in MH symptoms What other ones have you heard? Why are these myths a problem?

People who have struggled in the public mental health system tend to be heavier smokers and extract more nicotine for each cigarette they smoke. Why do you think members of this community smoke as much as they do?

How Can You Tell If Your Smoking is a Problem?

Why do you think people have so much trouble reducing or quitting smoking?

Where am I?

Putting this together The Decisional Balance Group discussion Flipchart Handout

You Get To Decide DON’T QUIT QUIT PROS CONS

Tobacco Use – Becoming Smoke Free Show CPI consumer tobacco video Debrief What did you think?

What helps people reduce or quit using tobacco products? Moving through the stages, treatments that work Social support groups Motivational strategies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Relapse prevention techniques Mindfulness meditation Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT’s) Medications such as Buproprion, Valenicline Others that have worked for you

What would help people become interested in using some of these treatment options? What are some of the barriers that make it hard to access effective smoking cessation treatments such as NRT’s?

Where Do We Go From Here?