Smoking cessation: the psychiatrist's role

摘要

Although tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death and the prevalence of smoking in persons with psychiatric disorders is very high, psychiatrists may be missing opportunities to assist patients to stop smoking, perhaps because this health promotion activity is seen to be in the province of the family physician. We may be consulted, however, when patients with psychiatric disorders consider smoking cessation or have difficulty in achieving abstinence.A patient with bipolar disorder resolved to stop smoking after experiencing several upper respiratory infections. He was a heavy smoker with a high Fagerstrom nicotine dependence score. His mood was well stabilized by treatment with lithium carbonate, and his only other medication was atorvastatin.