Mental illnesses besides depression lower life expectancy
Stigma raised as possible contributing factor...
The suicide of Robin Williams has raised into public consciousness the profiles of depression and the need for treatment but depression isn't the only cause of lost years by suicide or other co-morbidity for the mentally ill.
The results of Oxford researchers shown below are from a meta-analysis on life-span; the findings were published in World Psychiatry.
Stigma refers to the tainting of the identity of classes of people with disgrace. Within the psychiatric industry, a commonly discussed consequence of stigmatization of persons with mental disorders is avoidance of treatment and the diagnostic labeling that targets a person for social shunning.
The role of stigma in the years lost is suggested as a source of treatment avoidance but, critically, isn't a conclusion that follows directly from the study. However, the researcher's comments also suggest stigma and stereotypical thinking within the medical professions create bias in physician choices in treatment leading to lowered healthcare for the mentally ill.
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277388.php
(Researchers) found that all the mental disorders they studied showed an increase in mortality risk - with wide variation in size of risk - which, in many cases, was on a par with or higher than that tied to heavy smoking. For example:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277388.php
For recurrent depression, the reduction in life expectancy was 7-11 years
For bipolar disorder: 9-20
For schizophrenia: 10-20
For drug and alcohol abuse: 9-24
For heavy smoking, the average reduction in life expectancy is 8-10 years.
Mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, reduce life expectancy on par with heavy smoking, researchers found.
... Dr. Fazel suggests one problem is the tendency to treat mental and physical illness as separate conditions, yet: "Many causes of mental health problems also have physical consequences, and mental illness worsens the prognosis of a range of physical illnesses, especially heart disease, diabetes and cancer."
"The stigma surrounding mental health may mean people aren't treated as well for physical health problems when they do see a doctor," he adds.
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