In the main, tobacco smoking results in true drug
dependence that is comparable with that caused by opiates
or amphetamines. This dependence results in a chronic
illness trajectory requiring repeated clinical interventions
(Cataldo 2001). The author proposes that mental health
nurses are in a primary helping position because nurses’
unique roles include delivery of primary mental health
care, encompassing continuous and comprehensive
services necessary for treating addictive disorders and
124 A. MCCLOUGHEN
promoting optimal health. The nature of mental health
nursing determines that clinicians will possess a broad
repertoire of skills useful in assisting patients to manage
their primary mental illness of schizophrenia and their secondary
addictive smoking behaviours