Integrating physical healthcare into psychiatry for severe mental illness: A narrative review and position statement from the ECNP PAN-Health group - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #mortality gap
- #severe mental illness
- #physical healthcare
- Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) face significantly reduced life expectancy due to natural causes like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke.
- The mortality gap between individuals with SMI and the general population is widening due to systemic healthcare inequities and fragmented care.
- Six actionable strategies are proposed to integrate physical healthcare into psychiatric services to reduce excess mortality.
- Strategies include expanding psychoeducation to include physical health literacy, implementing smoking cessation programs, and early obesity management.
- Other strategies involve routine screening and treatment of hypertension, systematic monitoring of dyslipidaemia and diabetes, and integrated care models.
- Lifestyle interventions, especially structured physical activity, are emphasized alongside sleep and nutrition support.
- The paper advocates for holistic, person-centered care to improve health outcomes and reduce premature mortality in SMI patients.