Patient perspectives on how living with a mental illness affects making and maintaining healthy lifestyle changes

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the US has a mental illness. As a group, these individuals are sicker and die earlier than the general population, with a reduced life expectancy of at least a decade [1 –4]. Some of this health disparity may be related to cardiometabolic side effects of certain psychiatric medications [5–8], but much is due to modifiable health behaviors including sedentary lifestyles [9,10], poor diet [11], and smoking [12,13] that, left untreated, can result in higher risks o f cardiovascular disease.

Source: Patient Education and Counseling - September 1, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Bobbi Jo H. Yarborough, Scott P. Stumbo, Julie A. Cavese, Micah T. Yarborough, Carla A. Green Source Type: research