Readiness to stop smoking in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE To assess the motivation and readiness to change of individuals with schizophrenia prior to developing a smoking cessation program. METHOD Smoking history, nicotine dependence, readiness to stop smoking, and interest in a smoking cessation group were assessed in 60 schizophrenia outpatients who smoked. RESULTS The majority were interested in attending a smoking cessation group and appeared to be appropriately motivated. CONCLUSIONS Smoking cessation groups for a schizophrenia population may be a worthwhile endeavour. Current measures of motivation and readiness to change may be useful to identify those who are most likely to succeed.