From the Guardian · · 1m 40s
Mental illness tied to early death from physical disease
NHS data shows adults with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years younger, mostly from preventable conditions.
In brief
NHS data shows adults with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years younger, mostly from preventable conditions. Adults with severe mental illness are far more likely to die young from physical diseases like cancer and heart disease, often due to missed diagnoses and poor care coordination. Originally reported by the…
The mortality gap
Adults under 75 with severe mental illness are four point eight times more likely to die of any cause before age seventy five than the general population.
Specific disease risks
They are three point eight times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, two point three times from cancer, six times from respiratory illness, and six point three times from liver disease.
The scale of deaths
Cancer and cardiovascular disease each accounted for just under nineteen percent of all deaths among eighteen to seventy four year olds with severe mental health problems in England during the two thousand twenty two to two thousand twenty four reporting period.
Why deaths happen
The Rethink Mental Illness charity found that diagnostic overshadowing, where physical symptoms are wrongly attributed to mental illness, means potential illnesses are not always properly investigated and treated.
“diagnostic overshadowing”
What Rethink says
Mark Winstanley, chief executive of Rethink, said these early deaths are not inevitable and called for physical health checks, mental health informed interventions and peer support in the new cross government mental health strategy.
“These early deaths are not inevitable.”
Government response
The Department of Health and Social Care said it is developing a new modern service framework, opening one hundred new community mental health centres, and will outline integrated care plans in its mental health strategy.
The headline
Adults with severe mental illness are far more likely to die young from physical diseases like cancer and heart disease, often due to missed diagnoses and poor care coordination.
