While the prevalence of smoking is declining in Australia, it remains high among people with mental illness. People with mental illness have higher smoking rates, higher levels of nicotine dependence and a disproportionate health and financial burden from smoking. They are more likely to die from their smoking than from their mental illness.
Smokers who experience mental illness are as motivated as the general population to quit. Integrating smoking cessation into routine mental health care and providing intensive support of longer duration all contribute to successful quitting outcomes.
For more information about smoking and mental health:
https://www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/chapter-7-cessation/7-12-smoking-and-mental-health
How Quit Tasmania can help you support your clients who would like to make a quit attempt:
Refer
Refer your client to the Quitline; our trained friendly counsellors have lots of tips and strategies to help people on their quitting journey. Click here for the Referral Form.
If your client would like to speak to an Aboriginal Quitline counsellor we can accommodate this. Please add that request in the Notes section of the Referral Form.
Evidence shows that people are more likely to engage with Quitline if they are referred by a third party.
Book a training session
Supporting People to Stop Smoking training session.
Book a free 3 hour ‘Supporting People to Stop Smoking’ training session for your community service organisation. The session will provide staff with the skills and knowledge to support people who want to make a quit attempt.
“Very informative session. Relevant evidence-based information that will be very useful for me in practice”
For more information https://www.quittas.org.au/resources-professionals/training-sessions/
Other resources
The Australian Government’s National Tobacco Campaign, in partnership with SANE Australia, has developed a number of smoking cessation resources for people experiencing mental ill health and for people and professionals who are supporting them.
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/guide-to-a-smoke-free-life.pdf
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