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The findings released today by a Commission on Health Inequalities for People with Mental Illness reveal their drastic physical health problems and recommend changes to health policy and treatment innovations in order to tackle what is considered a "human rights scandal".
Today's publication – Lancet Psychiatry Commission: a plan for the protection of the physical health of people suffering from mental illness – is the culmination of more than 12 months of research conducted by a working group of more than 30 international experts, led by researchers from NICM Health Research Institute of Western Sydney University, Manchester, Sydney UNSW, King's College London and Orygen National Center of Excellence for Youth Mental Health.
The researchers' innovative report has four main objectives: to establish the extent of physical health disparities among people with mental illness; highlighting the main modifiable factors responsible for poor health, presenting health policy and clinical service initiatives to address these issues, and identifying promising areas for future research of innovative solutions.
The Lancet Psychiatry Commission found that a wide range of mental illnesses is badociated with a continuing burden of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which contributes to a life expectancy gap from about 20 years old for people with mental illness. Major risk factors include higher rates of smoking, sleep disturbances, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, adverse effects of many psychiatric medications, and lack of access to adequate health care.
Recommendations include the adoption of an "early intervention" approach to protect physical health from the early stages of the disease, as well as the establishment of multidisciplinary lifestyle treatments, targeting a range of healthy behaviors, such as physical activity and healthy eating. Along with this, recommendations for better integration of physical and mental health care, as well as the factual use of both psychiatric and cardioprotective drugs for people with mental illness, are also provided.
Dr. Joseph Firth, chairman of the commission, senior researcher at the NICM Health Research Institute of Western Sydney University and honorary researcher at the University of Manchester, said the study was an important step in the fight against the profound inequalities in physical health experienced by people with mental illness.
"Disparities in the physical health outcomes of people with mental illness are currently considered a human rights scandal," Dr. Firth said.
"Patients with severe mental illness are two to three times more likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which affects quality of life and recovery, while contributing to a difference Life expectancy of 20 years currently observed by this underserved population.
"These co-morbidities begin to appear very early and affect people with mental illness throughout their lives." It is clear that protecting the physical health of people with mental illness should be considered an international priority to reduce the burden. personal, social and economic aspects of these conditions. "
Dr. Simon Rosenbaum, head of the Commission's Lifestyle Section and Sydney University, said that interventions to improve physical health must become an essential component of mental health care from the start of treatment.
"Our commission found that despite the increasing focus on lifestyle risk factors related to mental illness, the implementation of evidence-based lifestyle interventions is still largely insufficient for these populations.
"We need to make the most of effective interventions to improve the physical activity, diet and cardiovascular health of the general population and find innovative and cost-effective ways to make these interventions a part of standard of care for people treated for mental illness. "
Dr. Brendon Stubbs, co-lead author of the commission and clinical lecturer at the National Institute of Health Research at King's College London, said: "The high rate of preventable physical health problems at People with mental illness must stop.This commission has ambitious goals of providing an opportunity and guidance to help people with mental illnesses to improve their physical health and not only to prolong their lives, but also to prolong their lives. "
Professor Jerome Sarris of the NICM Health Research Institute, co-author of the commission, said that the significant disparities in physical health of people with mental illness are a permanent health problem and may worsen in some cases. regions, and that urgent action was needed to protect this problem. vulnerable population.
"The link between physical and mental health is now more recognized than ever, and while this inequality is attracting more and more attention, additional investments, interventions and research are urgently needed to address the problem of premature mortality and the burden of physical health badociated with mental illness, which lasts a lifetime, "says Professor Sarris.
The commission also involved researchers from the University of Adelaide, the University of York, the University of Queensland and more than a dozen others. institutions, as well as clinicians and key stakeholders from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds and experiences in the field.
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The report and recommendations are available online today at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30132-4/fulltext, but will be available officially launched at the 19th WPA World Congress of Psychiatry will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in August.
Link to the main committee document – http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30132-4/fulltext
Link to the Commission landing page (includes access to the document and related comments) – http: // www.
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