Successful cessation of smoking among GAD patients during COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective study in Eastern India

Abstract

Tobacco use is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality among patients suffering from psychiatric disorders. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for two years, numerous researches have questioned the link between smoking and severe COVID-19.This paper aims to find out the outcomes of the pandemic fear intervention method in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients with tobacco use.Only 48 patients were divided into two groups out of the total of 102 individuals. The only distinction between the two groups is the "pandemic fear intervention". These people were identified as heavy smokers seeking mental health treatment at the institution’s mental health + de-addition clinic.In comparison to the prior situation, counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) resulted in significant improvements during the COVID-19 epidemic. All of the forty-eight patients were heavy smokers; the combination of COVID-19 anxiety and the lack of tobacco availability enhanced the ability of all forty-eight patients to stop smoking when rigorous psychotherapy health education and cognitive behavioural therapy (HE and CBT) was present. The COVID-19 fear factor's connection to the pandemic situation led to successful tobacco use cessation in 48 patients with chronic anxiety disorders, according to this study.Several tobacco use cessation sessions, as well as diverse technologies like CBT and health education counselling, are required for heavy smokers with general anxiety disorders. According to these models, the COVID-19 pandemic could be an important and counterintuitive motivator for quitting smoking. This study gives a fascinating fact and some data regarding COVID-19's impact on heavy smokers, in addition to the horrific misery it causes. We give an example of this by telling medical practitioners that they must use the "COVID-19 pandemic anxiety model" to extend patient lives, maintain environmental quality, and quit smoking.