Quitline Use For Smokers with Serious Mental Illness

Audience:  The intended audience includes all individuals with an interest in cessation, smokers with serious mental illness, and/or Quitlines.

Key Points:  We conducted four focus groups to discuss the use of Quitlines for smokers with SMI.  Two focus groups included mental health staff (N=17) and two included smokers with SMI (N=13).  Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed.  We conducted a qualitative analysis of the transcripts using a grounded theory approach to identify themes.  We identified themes related to advantages and barriers to the use of Quitlines for smokers with SMI.  Advantages included the ability to call someone when having an urge to smoke and easy availability of services.  Barriers included issues with paranoia related to phone use, limited cell phone minutes, limited telephone access and the inability of counselors to see important non-verbal cues from the smoker with SMI on the other end of the call.

Educational Experience:  We will describe our project methods and outcomes via lecture with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.  We will also suggest potential strategies for overcoming some of the barriers to QuitLine use for smokers with SMI.

Benefits:  QuitLines have become favored by states seeking a cost effective smoking cessation approach.  We will raise awareness that this strategy may inadvertently exclude an entire population of smokers (i.e., those with SMI).  We will inform the audience about advantages and barriers (and strategies for overcoming barriers) to QuitLine use for smokers wtih SMI.