A new study conducted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in collaboration with the University of Cambridge’s Biomedical Research Centre has shown that psychiatric patients are almost twice as likely to report suffering from multiple physical health conditions than the general population.
The study, which analyzed data from 19 different studies involving 194,123 psychiatric patients globally, found that these individuals were 1.84 times more likely to experience multimorbidity – the presence of multiple chronic diseases or conditions – compared to a control group of 7,660,590 individuals.
The findings also highlighted the wide range of physical health conditions experienced by psychiatric patients, including metabolic diseases, hypertension, epilepsy, respiratory, vascular, kidney, and gastrointestinal diseases, as well as cancer.
These revelations are particularly concerning given the global prevalence of mental health disorders. According to the study, nearly one billion people worldwide are living with a mental disorder, making it a leading cause of disability globally. In England alone, one in four people will experience a mental health problem each year.
Lead author Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at ARU, emphasized the implications of these findings, stating, “This complex relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity has far-reaching implications, including decreased treatment compliance, increased risk of treatment failure, increased treatment costs, relapsing disease, worsening prognosis, and reduced 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.”
The study, titled “Relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity: a meta-analysis and call for action”, was published in BMJ Mental Health on October 1, 2023. The authors of the study also issued a call to action for integrated mental and physical healthcare to address the complex needs of psychiatric patients.