Mental Illness Reduces Life Expectancy
A recent analysis by Oxford University psychiatrists has revealed that many mental illnesses reduce life expectancy by 10 to 20 years[1]. According to their review of studies which reported the mortality risk of various diagnoses (e.g., mental disorders, substance and alcohol abuse, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and child behavioral disorders), the loss of life expectancy associated with mental illness is equivalent or worse than that of heavy smoking. Specifically, bipolar disorder resulted in an average reduction in life expectancy of 9-20 years, 10-20 years for schizophrenia, 9-24 years for alcohol and drug abuse, and 7-11 years for recurrent depression. Researchers indicate that high-risk behaviors are more prevalent among individuals with a mental illness, and that the physiological consequences of mental illness may also shorten life expectancy. In the United States nearly 10 million individuals suffer from a major mental illness, and failure to provide adequate treatment has overburdened emergency rooms, crowded state and local jails, and contributed to an epidemic of homelessness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with mental illness typically wait a decade to get treatment after their first symptoms appear. Researchers explain that smoking prevention has long been prioritized as a major public health initiative, resulting in a decline in smoking-related deaths, and that similar efforts need to be made with regard to mental health. As Dr. John Williams, head of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the Wellcome Trust stated, “…people with mental health problems are among the most vulnerable in society. This [research] emphasizes how crucial it is that they have access to appropriate healthcare and advice, which is not always the case. We now have strong evidence that mental illness is just as threatening to life expectancy as other public health threats such as smoking.”
[1] Retrieved from: http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2014-05-23-many-mental-illnesses-reduce-life-expectancy-more-heavy-smoking