Acceptance and Commitment therapy as a framework for a protocol for smoking cessation with comorbidity of general anxiety disorder. A case study and follow-up

This case study described the conceptualization and the cognitive-behavioral treatment planning within the model of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for a 63-year-old patient affected by a lung carcinoid with a generalised anxiety disorder associated with nicotine addiction. The treatment proposed different behavioral techniques based on acceptance of experiences, the application of the concept of cognitive defusion and an initial training of mindfulness (Hayes, 2003; Allen et al., 2006) with the intention to improve patient’s adaptive functioning and his quality of life in line with his desired values (Masuda et al., 2004). The case study also highlights the most important aspects of the therapeutic relationship, which grew progressively following the cognitive-behavioral principles of the Compassion Therapy (Gilbert, 2009). At the end of the treatment, the patient reported a significant reduction of the main symptoms with an important improvement in term of mood, and physical wellbeing together with a strong reduction in daily tobacco intake. This case study represents one of the few experiences on smoking cessation embodied into the ACT paradigm at the national level and it highlights, as reported by current scientific evidence, the strength of this model not only in the treatment phase but also in the follow-up phases.