Assessment and diagnosis of nicotine dependence in mental health settings

This study evaluated the frequency of documented assessment of smoking status and the diagnosis of nicotine dependence in a random sample of 153 mental health records and 152 medical records. The results indicated that tobacco use was routinely documented in the mental health records (88%) and medical records (87%). However, a diagnosis of nicotine dependence was given in only 2% of the mental health records (1/49) and 7% of the medical records (2/30) for those patients with documented regular tobacco use. These results suggest that clinicians do not routinely diagnose Nicotine Dependence even when diagnostic criteria are met.