SYDNEY, Sept. 18 — People with severe mental illness die more than 10 years earlier than the general population, according to research led by Australia’s University of Queensland (UQ).
Researchers analyzed hospital mortality data from about 255,000 patients in the Australian state of Queensland over 14 years to assess the mortality rates of those with severe mental illness, such as depressive, neurotic and stress disorders, alcohol and drug use, and schizophrenia, according to a UQ statement released on Friday.
The study, published in Lancet Regional Health — Western Pacific, found that while mortality rates had improved, inequality is still prevalent, with males with mental health disorders dying 12 years earlier and females 10 years earlier than the general population.
“The mortality gap is improving, and people with severe mental illnesses are living longer than they were 14 years ago, which shows the health care system is on the right track,” said lead author Mike Trott from UQ’s Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioral Sciences.
However, mortality rates for patients with psychoses such as schizophrenia had “flatlined,” highlighting that the sickest patients were not benefiting from better care, Trott said.
The research also shows patients are dying younger from preventable physical health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, and physical illness is the principal driver of excess mortality.
“Patients with severe mental illness tend to require more complex care, and often medication side effects such as weight gain and reduction in physical activity can lead to poorer physical health,” Trott said.
(Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
