Smoking is one of the leading causes of premature, preventable death among adults in the United States, and the behavioral health population smokes at a rate that is 2-3 times that of the general population.1 As a result, individuals with a behavioral health condition are far more likely to die of smoking-related diseases than from causes related to their mental illness or substance use disorder.
Addressing smoking is central to creating health equity. Smoking prevalence is highest among those with behavioral health conditions, and behavioral health conditions - both mental illness and illicit drug use - are highest among American Indian and Alaskan Native populations, individuals reporting as multiracial and individuals responding as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual. Tobacco cessation can also improve treatment outcomes for the client’s behavioral health disorders and concurrent cessation treatment can increase the likelihood of longterm sobriety by 25%. Cessation also improves an individual’s mood as much as an anti-depressant can.
This toolkit serves as a resource and guide for behavioral health agencies adopting a tobacco-free wellness policy for their facilities and campuses. It provides information on tobacco use among the behavioral health population, as well as a step-by-step guide to becoming a tobacco-free facility and treating tobacco use in clients and staff. It also suggests ways of incorporating a larger program of wellness that not only supports smoking cessation, but improves overall the mental, emotional, physical, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of one’s life.
Click here to access the toolkit!
