A staggered edge: End-of-life care in patients with severe mental illness

Approximately 6% of the population suffers from severe persistent mental illness (SPMI): mental illness that is chronic or recurrent, requires ongoing intensive psychiatric treatment, and significantly impairs functioning [1]. SPMI is associated with premature mortality across all age groups [1,2]. Despite common misassumptions that most individuals with SPMI die prematurely from violence and suicide, the majority of excess mortality is due to chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia [3,4].

Source: General Hospital Psychiatry - October 19, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Daniel Shalev, Katherine Brewster, Melissa R. Arbuckle, Jon A. Levenson Tags: Editorial Source Type: research