A charity analyzing NHS data has documented significant mortality disparities among working-age adults with severe mental illness referred to specialist mental health services in England. The analysis reveals they face substantially elevated risks across multiple conditions: they are 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 compared to the general population. Additionally, they are 14.6 times as likely to die by suicide and 4.8 times more likely to die from any cause before age 75.
Physical health conditions account for the majority of premature deaths in this population. During the 2022-2024 reporting period, cancer and cardiovascular disease each represented just under 19 percent of all deaths among 18- to 74-year-olds with severe mental health problems, respiratory disease accounted for 11 percent, and liver disease for 8 percent. Together, these four conditions comprised 56.5 percent of deaths. For working-age adults, deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer each exceeded 24,000 during this timeframe, marking the highest levels since records began.
The report identifies multiple contributing factors to this excess mortality, including poverty, inadequate housing, elevated smoking rates, medication-related weight gain, physical inactivity, and fragmented healthcare services. A significant barrier identified is diagnostic overshadowing, whereby physical symptoms are incorrectly attributed to mental illness, preventing proper investigation and treatment of underlying conditions.
Leadership from mental health organizations and government representatives have responded to the findings. Officials acknowledged the unacceptable nature of these health inequalities and announced plans for intervention, including development of a new service framework, opening of 100 community mental health centres, and integration of physical health checks into mental health services. The report emerges ahead of an anticipated government review on mental health, autism, and ADHD expected to recommend more comprehensive patient support approaches.
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