The decreasing number of cigarettes during psychiatric hospitalization: intervention or punishment?

UNLABELLED The smoking ban during psychiatric hospitalization provokes personal and institutional changes. OBJECTIVE To identify the mental disorders carriers' perception, the smokers ones, about the decreasing number of cigarettes during psychiatric hospitalization. METHOD Exploratory study with 96 hospitalized carriers of mental disorders who are smokers: G1 (34 subjects hospitalized when was allowed one cigarette by hour) and G2 (62 subjects hospitalized when it was reduced to eight cigarette by day). Semi-structured questionnaire. Thematic content analysis. RESULTS The G1 admitted satisfaction with the restriction--smoking during hospitalization as entitlement. The G2 resists the restriction change occurred without dialogue or support. In spite of the difficulties, some attitude changes about the cigarette were noticed such as increase of the responsibility, discovery of the ability to reduce smoking and the meaning of its role. CONCLUSION Some subjects understand the smoking health policy change as punishment, while others as opportunity to think about the role of cigarette in their life.