Individuals grappling with major mental health concerns are at a heightened risk of experiencing various physical ailments, including metabolic diseases, hypertension, epilepsy, respiratory issues, vascular problems, kidney complications, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancer, according to a recent study.
Conducted on a global scale, the study meticulously analyzed data from 194,123 psychiatric patients, comparing the findings with a control group consisting of 76,60,590 individuals. The research unveiled that those with mental health challenges were 1.84 times more likely than the control group to report multimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of at least one chronic disease and another physical health condition.
As of 2019, nearly one billion people worldwide were grappling with mental disorders, positioning it as the leading cause of disability. A UK-based site, Mind, notes that one in four individuals in England is anticipated to experience a mental health condition at some point during the year.
Previous research has underscored a significant gap in access to effective, affordable, and high-quality mental health care, particularly in low-income nations. For instance, a substantial 71 percent of individuals worldwide dealing with psychosis do not receive necessary mental health services, highlighting a stark contrast between high-income and low-income countries.
Lead author Lee Smith, a Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, emphasized, “Mental health underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships, and shape the world we live in. It is evident from our research that individuals with severe mental illness are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing physical multimorbidity.”
Smith further highlighted the intricate relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity, elucidating the far-reaching implications such as reduced treatment compliance, heightened risk of treatment failure, increased treatment costs, relapsing diseases, worsened prognosis, and diminished life expectancy.
“Poor clinical management of physical comorbidities in people with mental disorders exacerbates the issue, leading to an increased burden on individuals, their communities, and healthcare systems. A holistic approach is urgently needed to improve the physical, mental, and social outcomes of individuals dealing with severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity,” Smith concluded.
