People living with a mental illness are two-to-four times more likely to smoke than the general population. The rate of smoking tends to increase with the severity of mental illness and varies by diagnosis. High smoking rates and lack of access to best practice treatment contributes to widening inequities.
Mental illness can make quitting more challenging, though people living with a mental illness who smoke are just as motivated to quit as the rest of the population. As well as the many benefits to physical health, when people living with a mental illness quit, they are more likely to:
Brief advice: Ask, Advise, Help
The mental health workforce is well placed to deliver smoking cessation brief advice to consumers. A brief advice conversation with a consumer about smoking is fast, simple and effective.
Quit’s 3-step brief advice model focuses on identifying people who smoke and helping them to access best practice tobacco dependence treatment: a combination of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy and multi-session behavioural intervention through Quitline.
The brief advice model has three steps:
Ask all consumers about smoking status and document this in their record.
Advise consumers who smoke to quit in a clear, non-confrontational and personalised way, and advise of the best way to quit.
Help by offering a referral to Quitline (13 7848), and prescribe (or help consumers to access) pharmacotherapy (such as nicotine replacement therapy).
How to put the ‘Ask, Advise, Help’ brief advice model into practice
Online training for the mental health professionals
Quit, in partnership with health services, has developed online smoking cessation brief advice training for mental health professionals working in health services, particularly inpatient settings. The training aims to equip mental health professionals with the skills, confidence and knowledge to provide smoking cessation brief advice to patients.
Duration: Approximately 30 mins
Cost:
Training is free for VIC, SA and WA learners
A registration fee of $20 applies for other states and territories
Learning objectives:
Understand who is smoking and which priority populations have higher rates of smoking.
Understand the negative impact of smoking on medical outcomes.
Know how to provide fast, simple and effective brief advice in a supportive, non-judgmental manner.
Understand the important role of behavioural intervention (such as Quitline) and how to refer.
Recognise the importance of managing nicotine withdrawal in the inpatient setting.
Know what additional resources and support are available to help your patients who smoke.
Certification: Printable certificate.
Essentials plus mental health training
Quit’s online Essentials plus mental health training is appropriate for mental health professionals working in other settings. The training aims to equip mental health professionals with the skills, confidence and knowledge to support consumers who smoke to quit.
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost:
Training is free for VIC, SA and WA learners.
A registration fee of $20 applies for other states and territories
Learning objectives:
Understand who is smoking and which priority populations have higher rates of smoking.
Understand the negative impacts of smoking on health outcomes including mental health.
Know how to provide fast, simple and effective brief advice in a supportive non-judgemental manner.
Understand the important role of multi-session behavioural intervention (such as Quitline) and how to refer.
Understand the different smoking cessation pharmacotherapy options available.
Know what additional resources are available and how to refer.
Certification: Printable certificate
Register for online trainingTools and resources to embed smoking cessation brief advice into routine practice
The AAH model can be used by mental health service staff in their everyday interactions with patients. It can also be used to guide organisation-wide systems change, to embed smoking cessation care into routine practice in the health service setting and support smokefree health services. Read more about the Ask, Advise, Help model.
To support health services to do this, Quit, in partnership with four health services, has developed an evidence-based smokefree policy and guideline, clinical guideline and clinical pathway templates that health services can contextualise, as required.
More information and these templates can be found at www.quit.org.au/health-professional-resources
Referring consumers to Quitline (13 7848)
Quitline is a confidential, evidenced-based telephone counselling service. Qualified Quitline counsellors use behaviour change techniques and motivational interviewing over multiple calls to help people plan, make and sustain a quit attempt. By referring consumers to Quitline you are helping them access free support and increasing the chance that they will be able to make a successful quit attempt.
There are two ways to refer consumers to Quitline:
Use the Quitline fax referral sheet
Refer consumers online
Resources for mental health services and consumers
Quit have worked with stakeholders and consumers to develop a range of resources. You can download or order these through the Quit resource order form.
Helping consumers to stop smoking: a guide for staff working in mental health services
A table outlining drug interactions with smoking, detailing the impact of smoking cessation on drug dosages
Posters for waiting areas or clinic rooms
4D's appointment and wallet cards for consumers
'My quit plan' brochure for consumers, and more.
Tobacco in Australia: Facts & Issues
Tobacco in Australia: Facts & Issues is a comprehensive review of the major issues in smoking and health in Australia, compiled by Cancer Council Victoria.
Last updated: November 2021
For any queries or further information, please contact quit@cancervic.org.au.