Foreword

Summary

This practical guide is a very welcome and, dare I say, overdue contribution towards giving the physical health needs of people with mental health problems a higher priority.

As a medical discipline with its own specialty areas, psychiatry inevitably focuses on the mental health needs of patients. But as our mission is to improve the lives of people with mental illness, ‘improving lives’ should include physical as well as mental health and well-being.

This marvellous book makes it clear that this is not just an issue for psychiatrists, but is also an area for general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals to consider.

Even a cursory examination of some of the statistics reveals the huge cost of poor physical illness to those with severe mental illness. For example, men with a diagnosis of psychosis live 20 years less than the general population, while women with the diagnosis live 15 years less, with evidence that this ‘mortality gap’ may be widening.

Of the 7500 people who develop a psychosis in England each year, many face a future compromised by poor physical health as well as psychological difficulties. Antipsychotic drugs often lead to rapid weight gain and increases in cholesterol, compromising broader health and well-being. We also know that, for a wide variety of reasons, smoking prevalence among those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia is much higher than it is in the general population.

But behind the human tragedy of premature mortality is the reality that mental and physical disorders frequently coexist, often intertwined with social exclusion, restricted opportunities and disadvantage. People with an enduring physical illness are also more likely to experience mental health problems.

With chapters covering a wide range of health issues and common problems that may affect psychiatric patients, I am sure this book will be a great help to mental health professionals and psychiatrists everywhere. I am proud that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has published it.