Combining Smoking Cessation Support with Therapy Boosts Quit Rates, Study Finds - Video

Research from the University of Bath shows that integrating smoking cessation support into Talking Therapies for depression and anxiety increases quit rates. This is an important step in addressing the high rates of smoking in this population.

The study published in Addiction also found that adding smoking support to mental health treatment didn’t disrupt therapy. Instead, it offered a practical way to tackle mental and physical health together.

For the research, a total of 135 people were included who were split into two groups, One group received 12 sessions of smoking cessation support as part of their CBT session, and the other group had standard CBT and were given information about quitting smoking after treatment.

Researchers followed up at three and six months to measure engagement, satisfaction, smoking habits, and mental health outcomes.

The findings of the study revealed that at six months, 15% of the combined treatment group had quit smoking entirely – more than two and a half times the quit rate of the control group (6%).

A Cochrane review reported an 8.8% quit rate for standard smoking cessation treatments among individuals with depression. Findings from the ESCAPE trial reveal that incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) nearly doubles this rate.

The researchers think this study could open the door to bringing smoking cessation support into more mental health services. Therapists are backing the intervention, saying it is both helpful and easy to use, improving clients' mental and physical health.

This study provides a practical and novel way to address high smoking rates in this population and improve physical health inequalities experienced by people with depression and anxiety.

Ref: Taylor GMJ, Sawyer K, Jacobsen P, Freeman TP, Blackwell A, Daryan S, et al. intEgrating Smoking Cessation treatment As part of usual Psychological care for dEpression and anxiety (ESCAPE): A randomised and controlled, multi-centre, acceptability and feasibility trial with nested qualitative methods. Addiction. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16718