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24
ANTI-SMOKING CLINIC
The Anti-smoking Clinic which was set up in November
1962 was referred to briefly in the Annual Report for that
year. Its activities continued under the guidance of
Dr. Griffith Edwards of the Maudsley Hospital until the
beginning of August 1963. Up to that time sessions ha d
been conducted for individual patients, but since then
courses of group therapy have been held on Tuesday evening s,
first under the guidance of Dr. Poole, a local general
practitioner, and subsequently Dr. Griffith Edwards. I am
much indebted to both of them for their valuable assistance
Dr. Edwards has now made a detailed analysis of the
first forty male patients who attended the Clinic whi ch
was published in 'The Medical Officer' on 24th April 1964.
The following extract is of considerable interest:-
Summary and Conclusions
(1) At an anti-smoking clinic set up by the Public
Health Department of the Camberwell Borough Council a
comparison was made of the results of four weeks
treatment by light hypnosis and by lobeline sulpha te
(2 mg. t.d.s.). Postal follow-up inquiry was made at
one, two and three months after the end of treatment.
There were 20 men in each group.
(2) At the first visit, the doctor filled in a questionnaire
on the patient's smoking habits and on
reasons given for wanting to stop smoking and the
patient completed the Maudsley Personality Inventory.
(3) Clinic patients showed a higher mean N (neuroticism)
and lower mean E (extroversion) score than a
'normal' population.
(4) Comparison of treatment results with the two gro u ps
showed no significant difference during the first four
weeks or during subsequent follow-up. Approximately
30 per cent of patients stopped smoking, 40 per cent.
considerably decreased their smoking, and 30 per cent.
showed no or little change. At the end of three months
there was a slight tendency toward relapse but results
(over this period of follow-up) were not transient.
Co-operation in treatment was similar in the two groups.
(5) On the premise that response to treatment by
hypnosis and by lobeline is probably determined by the
same factors, correlation of various factors with
success in treatment outcome was analysed for the
group of 40 patients taken as a whole. No correlations