Exercise Interventions for Improving Mental and Physical Health in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that carries a high personal and socio-economic burden. Especially negative symptoms and cognitive impairments affect the long-term outcome and are the main contributors to disability. An often underestimated aspect of the disease are somatic comorbidities and the very high mortality rates of those with the disorder. The life expectancy is approximately 20 years below that of the general population and there is evidence that persons with schizophrenia may not have seen the same improvement in life expectancy as the general population during the past decades. Among others, lifestyle factors like sedentary behaviour, unhealthy diet, body weight and tobacco smoking are considered modifiable risk factors contributing to this excess mortality. Exercise interventions may be useful not only in attenuating symptoms of the disease but as well in help reducing risk factors for somatic comorbidities.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.