Title: Mental Health Disorders May Shorten Life Span: Study – WebMD
Headings: Mental Health Disorders May Shorten Life Span
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Mental Health Disorders May Shorten Life Span
By Amy Norton

Content: Walker's team found that the mortality "gap" between people with and without mental disorders has grown over time -- becoming wider in studies done since the 1990s, versus those done prior to 1970. Part of that could be due to healthier lifestyle habits in the general population, according to Olfson. Smoking, for example, has declined overall, but is still prevalent among people with mental health conditions, he noted. Continued
Whatever the specific reasons, Walker said it appears that people with psychiatric conditions are not seeing the same physical health improvements as the overall population. "There's no simple solution to this," she said. " It's going to take multiple approaches." One approach is to make sure that people with psychiatric disorders have access to all the types of health care they need, according to Walker. She noted that Americans with mental health issues also have higher-than-average rates of poverty and unemployment, and may also lack the "social support" -- family and friends -- that can help them deal with chronic ills. Both Walker and Olfson also pointed to the need for more "integrated care" -- which essentially means better coordination among the different professionals responsible for a patient's mental and physical health. As for families of people with mental disorders, Olfson said they should be aware of the potential physical toll -- and do what they can to support a healthy lifestyle.