State bans smoking in mental hospitals

By Craig Schneider

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia health officials have given patients in the state mental hospitals a New Year’s resolution — quit smoking.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned that the state plans to ban smoking in the seven state mental hospitals on Jan. 5, a steep challenge considering the high percentage of smokers among those with mental illness.

But Tom Wilson, spokesman for the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, said the measure will make the patients and facilities healthier. He also said the ban could advance patients’ treatment, helping them to give up an often addictive habit.

Wilson acknowledged the challenges, pointing to national statistics that show 75 percent of people with mental illness or addictions smoke, and that nearly half of the cigarettes consumed in the country are smoked by people with mental illness.

People with serious mental illness tend to die 25 years younger than the general public, he said, in part because of their smoking.

The move follows efforts nationwide to ban smoking in work places, restaurants and even some mental hospitals in other states. The Georgia ban on the state mental health hospital properties will also apply to staff.

Some mental health experts challenge the wisdom of taking away a coping mechanism from a person already in emotional distress.

“Someone going into a mental hospital is already facing difficult challenges,” said Athens psychologist Angela Londono-McConnell. “Asking them to give up a habit that is hard to break could create extra stress.”

Wilson said patients will be assessed as to their need for tobacco, and they will receive counseling and smoking cessation aids to help them kick the habit.