Background
The rate of tobacco use amongst people with mental illness is very high, with up to 70% reported to be smoking tobacco and while the rate of smokers in the general community has reduced, a significant percentage of the remaining smokers are people with mental illness.
Tobacco use is a major contributing factor in the poor physical health of many people with mental illness. It also causes poverty and is a significant barrier to their recovery, community involvement and quality of life.
The Tobacco and Mental Illness Project
In 1998 the Tobacco and Mental Illness Project was formed with a grant from Quit SA. Further grants from the Tobacco Control Unit, Drug and Alcohol Services SA, have enabled the project to grow into a state-wide project which is managed by Mental Health Services, Central Northern Adelaide Health Service.
The aim of the project is to reduce the high rate of tobacco smoking amongst people living with mental illness.
The project has focused on 3 key areas:
Awareness Raising
Policy and Practice Change
Smoking Cessation/Reduction Programs.
Awareness Raising
The Project has been involved in different activities to raise awareness of the problem, challenge myths and provide information on how to assist people with mental illness to address tobacco.
Activities have included:
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Training workshops and presentations for workers, carers, people with mental illness, Quitline counsellors, General Practitioners and others. Over 150 presentations have been made to approximately 3000 people across Adelaide, in rural communities and interstate. |
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13 presentations have been made at national mental health and tobacco control conferences. |
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The project has won 3 national awards. |
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Articles, papers and newsletters have been written. |
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5 written resources and a video have been produced and are being distributed nationally through Quit SA. Over 70,000 have been distributed to date. |
Policy and Practice Change
The Project has undertaken a literature review, consulted consumers, carers and service providers, and has developed a discussion paper and policy statement to assist mental health services to implement significant policy change and ensure tobacco safe environments, and consumers and staff are provided with support to address tobacco.
The discussion paper and policy statement have been presented to the Director of Mental Health and discussed by the Mental Health Policy Executive.
The project is working with mental health services to establish Tobacco Policy Regional Implementation Groups to plan and implement significant tobacco policy change.
Smoking Cessation Programs
Since 1998 the Project has run over 30 ten-week tobacco support courses with over 350 participants. These courses have been run within Government and Non Government services across Adelaide and in some rural communities. They have included the provision of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, healthy snacks, educative materials and support.
The courses have been evaluated and clearly demonstrated that many people who live with mental illness are concerned about their smoking and with information and support are able to reduce and quit tobacco.
These results have shown that people with mental illness are highly motivated, want help and need services and support to address tobacco use.
Where to from here
The Ministerial Reference Group on Tobacco has identified people with mental illness as one of the three priority groups and the Tobacco Control Unit has funded the Project until July 2010.
Mental health and tobacco control services will work closely to implement significant tobacco policy change ensuring all consumers and staff are provided with tobacco safe environments, and people with mental illness and workers are provided with encouragement, information and support to quit tobacco.
The implementation of effective tobacco policy and practices within mental health services will require committed leadership, consultation, allocation of resources, consistency across staff and services and ongoing review and evaluation.
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