Lifestyle and physical health in schizophrenia

Moira Connolly is a consultant general psychiatrist at Gartnavel Royal Hospital (Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0XH, UK. E-mail: Moira.Connolly{at}glacomen.scot.nhs.uk) with interests in psychiatric rehabilitation and cognitive–behavioural therapy. She is an honorary senior lecturer at the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Glasgow, where her research interests include the physical health of people with schizophrenia. Ciara Kelly is a consultant psychiatrist working in rehabilitation at Leverndale Hospital, Glasgow, with academic time spent in the Department of Psychological Medicine, Glasgow University. Her current research interests are the lifestyle, physical health and outcome of people with schizophrenia.

People with schizophrenia die prematurely. Their illness, its treatment and their lifestyle all contribute to the excess morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle ‘choices’ (e.g. poor diet, low rates of physical activity and increased likelihood to smoke cigarettes) predispose them to poor physical health and comorbid medical diseases. In addition, weight gain and obesity are a consequence of most antipsychotics, particularly the atypicals. Excessive body weight increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, and is the biggest risk factor for type II diabetes in schizophrenia. Much of the excess mortality of schizophrenia is preventable through lifestyle and risk factor modification and the treatment of common diseases, but the potential for improving outcomes in this area is only starting to be addressed.

Related articles in APT:

Shared care for people with mental illness: a GP’s perspective

Helen Lester
APT 2005 11: 133-139. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. J. Tarrant Blood glucose testing for adults prescribed atypical antipsychotics in primary and secondary care Psychiatr. Bull., August 1, 2006; 30(8): 286 - 288. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Abdelmawla and A. J. Mitchell Sudden cardiac death and antipsychotics. Part 1: Risk factors and mechanisms Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., January 1, 2006; 12(1): 35 - 44. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Kohen Physical health in mental illness: psychiatry's shared responsibility Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., November 1, 2005; 11(6): 457 - 457. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Kiani and M. Abbas Smoking in a long-stay psychiatric rehabilitation centre Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., November 1, 2005; 11(6): 457 - 458. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Woolley and P. McGuire Neuroimaging in schizophrenia: what does it tell the clinician? Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., May 1, 2005; 11(3): 195 - 202. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. W. Kerwin and A. Bolonna Management of clozapine-resistant schizophrenia Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., March 1, 2005; 11(2): 101 - 106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters: