The Role of Planning in Naturalistic Quitting Success Among People with Severe Mental Illness

People with severe mental illness are less likely to quit successfully. Popular models of behaviour change focus on planning as key to successful quitting. Symptoms of severe mental illnesses can limit the psychological forces available for quitting and impede planning. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore naturalistic quitting success among people with severe mental illness. Analysis of the experiences of fifteen participants who had quit smoking for periods ranging from one week to eight years were used to develop definitions of spontaneous, unplanned and planned smoking cessation. People with severe mental illness should be supported with the method of their choosing, rather than emphasizing planning in all cases.