A study by the Rethink Mental Illness charity analyzing NHS data reveals significant health disparities for adults with severe mental health conditions. The research found that people under 75 with serious mental health problems—defined as those referred to specialist secondary mental health services—are nearly five times more likely to die before reaching that age compared to their peers in the general population.
The analysis identified substantial elevated mortality risks across multiple conditions. Adults with severe mental illness were found to be 6.3 times more likely to die from liver disease, 6 times more likely from respiratory illness, 3.8 times more likely from cardiovascular disease, and 2.3 times as likely from cancer. Additionally, they were 14.6 times as likely to die by suicide compared with those not referred to specialist services. For working-age adults, death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer reached their highest levels since records began, with each condition accounting for more than 24,000 deaths during the 2022-2024 reporting period.
Physical diseases accounted for the majority of premature mortality among individuals with severe mental health conditions. Cancer and cardiovascular disease each represented just under 19% of all early deaths for 18 to 74 year olds with severe mental health problems in England, respiratory disease accounted for 11%, and liver disease for 8%, together comprising 56.5% of deaths in this group. Suicide comprised 7% of these early deaths.
Researchers identified multiple contributing factors to these disparities, including poverty, inadequate housing, elevated smoking rates, medication-related weight gain, physical inactivity, and fragmented care systems. The report also highlights “diagnostic overshadowing,” a phenomenon where physical symptoms are incorrectly attributed to mental illness, resulting in insufficient investigation and treatment of underlying physical conditions. The government’s independent review of mental health, autism, and ADHD was expected to be published shortly after this report, with recommendations for a more integrated approach to patient care.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI