The Orlando (FL) Sentinel (2/12, Santich) reports that a review published online Feb. 11 in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that individuals “with mental illness face twice the risk of dying early as the rest of the population — even though death is most often due to natural causes.” What’s more, even though “the mortality risk is highest for individuals with serious mental illness — such as major depression or schizophrenia — there is still an elevated death rate for milder, more common illnesses, such as anxiety.” Researchers reached these conclusions after having “analyzed more than 200 studies in 29 countries on six continents that compared death rates among those with mental illness versus a control group or the general population.”
HealthDay (2/12, Norton) reports that the “risk of death from ‘unnatural causes’ – including suicide and accidents – was seven times higher” for people with mental illnesses. However, “their odds of dying from physical health conditions were also elevated, by an average of 80 percent,” the study found.
Related Links:
— “Mental illness doubles risk of dying early, study says,” Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel, February 11, 2015.