VA Integrates Smoking Cessation Treatment into PTSD Therapy

A new study from the Department of Veterans Affairs found that when smoking cessation techniques are integrated into mental health treatment for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) quitting rates improve. The study discovered veterans who quit smoking did not experience increased depression or overall worsening of their PTSD symptoms. Says study leader Miles McFall, PhD, "One of the most important things mental health providers can do to improve the quality and length of their patients' lives is to help them stop smoking by using proven, evidence-based practices."

The smoking cessation care program included both individual and group counseling, in conjunction with either medication or nicotine replacement. A total of 943 veterans were followed at ten VA medical centers throughout the country. "The smoking cessation techniques used in this new approach," says VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert Petzel in a press release, "will give Veterans an important step towards a better quality of life."

The VA estimates that between 30 and 50 percent of the 400,000 veterans being treated for PTSD are smokers. Six VA medical centers are currently pilot testing integrated cessation programs and, over time, these programs could be expanded.

For more information about the VA's smoking cessation treatment, refer to the Department of Veterans Affairs' Press Release: New Approach to Smoking Cessation Boosts Quit Rates for Veterans with PTSD.

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