Tobacco smoking cessation in mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Tobacco smoking is more prevalent among people who experience mental illness. It is therefore a prominent issue for psychiatric inpatient units. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many psychiatric inpatient units are no longer granting leave and outdoor smoking breaks, prompting the question of whether to allow tobacco smoking or enforce smoking bans in mental health services. There is currently mixed evidence that tobacco smoking is associated with a higher risk of developing COVID-19 and poorer outcomes for COVID-19 cases, potentially due to current small sample sizes. Considering the benefits of smoking cessation in this vulnerable population, the current pandemic should be used as an opportunity to further enforce smoking cessation in mental health facilities and encourage nicotine replacement therapy alongside cessation counseling.

Keywords: COVID-19; Tobacco; smoking.