Tuesday, November 6, 2012

MEETING SUMMARY: RESEARCH TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND LONGEVITY OF PEOPLE WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS


On September 10-11, 2012, NIMH convened the meeting, “Research to Improve Health and Longevity of People with Severe Mental Illness.” The purpose of the meeting was to assess the state of the science in preventing and treating medical conditions in people with severe mental illness (SMI) and identify the most critically needed research to reduce early death in this vulnerable group.
The 11.4 million people in the U.S. with SMI carry a heavy disease burden, in addition to having a mental illness. They die 11-32 years earlier than their life expectancy from largely preventable comorbid medical conditions—e.g., heart disease, diabetes, cancer, pulmonary disease, and stroke—which occur more frequently and have earlier onset in this population. Low rates of prevention, detection, and treatment further add to these health disparities. While effective approaches to these common conditions and their health risk factors exist for the general population, evidence is needed on how to bring these effective strategies to people with SMI.
NIMH brought together leading researchers on medical comorbidities in people with SMI and on prevention and treatment within the general population for diabetes, heart disease, tobacco use, and drug abuse. They were joined by policy leaders pioneering innovations in their states to address comorbid medical conditions in people with SMI; advocates for people with SMI; community mental health center leaders; representatives from other NIH institutes, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, and NIDA; and, representatives from key federal agencies, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.