A comprehensive study by Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Cambridge found that psychiatric patients are significantly more likely to suffer from multiple physical health conditions, calling for integrated mental and physical health care. is emphasized.
Psychiatric patients are almost twice as likely to suffer from multiple physical illnesses, a new study has found.
A new study conducted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Biomedical Research Center has revealed important findings regarding the physical health of people with mental illness. This extensive analysis incorporated data from 19 different studies of 194,123 psychiatric patients from around the world and compared them to 7,660,590 people in the control group.
Research results on multimorbidity
Multimorbidity refers to a person suffering from a combination of a chronic disease and at least one other physical health condition. The researchers found that psychiatric patients were 1.84 times more likely to report multiple disorders than controls.
The study found that people with severe mental health problems were more likely to be at risk of not only cancer, but also physical illnesses such as metabolic disease, hypertension, epilepsy, respiratory disease, vascular disease, kidney disease, and gastrointestinal disease. I understand that you are reporting.
global mental health concerns
As of 2019, approximately 1 billion people were living with a mental disorder, and mental disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide. follow your heartOne in four people in the UK will experience some form of mental health problem each year.
Previous research has shown that the majority of individuals in need of mental health services do not have access to effective, affordable, and quality mental health care, especially in low-income countries. For example, 71% of people with mental illness worldwide do not receive the mental health services they need, and there are large disparities between high-income and low-income countries.
Expert insights
Lead author Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Mental health underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships, and shape the world we live in. Our research shows that: People with severe mental illness are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing multiple physical illnesses.
“This complex relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity is associated with decreased treatment compliance, increased risk of treatment failure, increased treatment costs, disease recurrence, poor prognosis, and reduced life expectancy. , has far-reaching effects.
“Inadequate clinical management of physical comorbidities in people with mental disorders exacerbates the problem and leads to increased burden on individuals, communities, and health systems. Severe mental illness and physical comorbidities A holistic approach is urgently needed to improve physical, mental and social outcomes for individuals dealing with the disease.”
Reference: “The relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity: A meta-analysis and call to action” Damiano Pizzol, Mike Trott, Laurie Butler, Yvonne Barnett, Tamsin Ford, Sharon AS Neufeld, Anya Ragnhildstveit, Christopher N Parris, Benjamin R Underwood, Guillermo Felipe López Sanchez, Matt Fossey, Carol Blaine, Emilio Fernández-Egea, Guillaume Fong, Laurent Boyer, Jay Il Sin, Shahina Paldan, Lee Smith, 2023 October 1st, BMJ Mental Health.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjment-2023-300870
