People with severe mental illness are more likely to have physical health comorbidities

A large international study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland found that people with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are more likely to have two or more chronic physical health conditions. They found that they were up to four times more likely to

First author, Registrar of Psychiatry, UQ Shaun Halstead, a PhD student at the School of Medicine, said people living with severe mental illness continue to face significant health inequalities compared to the general population, especially people under 40. .

“In this study, we sought to calculate how common multi-morbidity, or the presence of two or more chronic health conditions, is among people with and without severe mental illness,” Halstead said. the doctor said.

“Overall, we found that people with severe mental illness were more than twice as likely to have two or more chronic physical health conditions.

“This difference is even greater among younger people who suffer from mental illness, with people under 40 being more than four times more likely to suffer from a complex physical illness.”

People with severe mental illness experience more mental illnesses, further complicating their health conditions.

“We found that one in seven people with a severe mental illness also has two or more mental illnesses,” Dr. Halstead said.

“These illnesses reduce life expectancy by 10 to 20 years, and this is caused by significant physical and psychological health challenges faced by people with severe mental illness.”

Psychiatrist, UQ researcher Professor Dan Siskind said the results show that this population faces a burden of chronic illness, both physical and mental illness, at a young age.

We understand how important it is to consider all of a patient's health conditions and ensure that treatment is not provided in isolation or within a disciplinary framework.

An integrated, multidisciplinary approach to care is needed that considers both the physical and mental health of the person being treated. ”

Professor Dan Siskind, Psychiatrist and UQ Researcher

The review was carried out at UQ and included researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester and King's College London.

Dr Halstead, Associate Professor Nicola Warren and Professor Siskind also work at Metro South Health.

of The study was published in Lancet Psychiatry.