Short report

Admission to a psychiatric unit and changes in tobacco smoking

Suzy Ker^{* 1} and David Owens^{* 2}

¹Briary Unit, Harrogate District Hospital, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK

²Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

author email corresponding author email* Contributed equally

Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 2008, 4:12doi:10.1186/1745-0179-4-12

Published:	6 May 2008

Abstract

Smoking and withdrawal from smoking complicates the assessment and treatment of mental illness. We aimed to establish whether psychiatric inpatients smoke different amounts after admission than beforehand and, if so, to find out why. Forty-three inpatients on a working age adult psychiatry ward completed self-report questionnaires about smoking habits. Those who smoked a different amount after admission had a follow-up interview to find out why they thought this had occurred. The interview incorporated qualitative and quantitative aspects which were analysed accordingly.

Fifty-six percent of participants were smokers before admission, rising to 70% afterwards. Of the smokers, 17% smoked less after admission, and 63% smoked more. The average number of cigarettes smoked per person per day increased from five to thirteen. The main reasons for smoking more were boredom, stress and the wish to socialise.