Screening and Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder in Mental Health Clinics in New York State: Current Status and Potential Next Steps

The prevalence of smoking is higher among individuals with serious mental illnesses than the general population. Evidence-based practices exist for tobacco cessation, but little is known about mental health clinics’ tobacco cessation treatment practices/protocols. Mental health clinics in New York State were surveyed about their tobacco use treatment protocols and outdoor-smoking policies. One-third of clinics were not providing individual counseling for tobacco use disorder, 39% were not prescribing nicotine replacement therapy, and nearly half reported not prescribing bupropion or varenicline. Even smaller proportions reported implementing other clinical practice guidelines, with only 25.2% providing staff training and 20.3% having a dedicated staff member for coordinating tobacco use disorder treatment. Regarding outdoor smoke-free policies, 38% of clinics reported not allowing any tobacco use anywhere on grounds. Despite some successes, many clinics do not provide evidence-based tobacco use treatments, meaning important opportunities exist for mental health clinics and oversight agencies to standardize practices.