Report: Treating Tobacco Use Disorder in Behavioral Health Populations

Although overall smoking rates in the United States have declined significantly, tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. Nicotine is the addictive component in all tobacco products, and tobacco use disorder should be treated as a chronic, relapsing condition.

Treating Tobacco Use Disorder in Behavioral Health Populations describes innovative uses of approved medications that improve treatment outcomes. The report draws from sources including the Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guidelines on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) 1,2.

The report features:

• An overview of the seven FDA-approved medications for treating tobacco use
• How to use the medications that are associated with improved outcomes
• Key messages for treating tobacco use disorder in behavioral health populations

Audience

Behavioral health providers practicing in all treatment settings

Author

Center for Health Systems Improvement for a Tobacco-Free New York at CAI

Year published

2022

View and download the report

Treating Tobacco Use Disorder in Behavioral Health Populations: Innovative Approaches and Uses of Approved Medications (2.2 MB PDF)

Related resources

• Seven key messages when communicating about tobacco use as a chronic disorder (340 KB PDF)
• Webinar recording: “Getting Beyond No: Engaging Pre-Contemplative Tobacco Users with Behavioral Health Conditions” (December 2023) and webinar slides (7 MB PDF)