Mortality Gap Flashcards
What are examples of severe mental illness?
Schizophrenia and bipolar
What is bipolar?
Characterised by mania and severe depression and treated with mood stabilising medication. Onset occurs in early to mid adulthood.
What drives health inequality in severe mental illness?
Adverse childhood experiences, trauma, poverty, poor housing, poor work environment.
Why does health inequality occur in people with severe mental illness?
Lack of access to employment and social services, medication causing weight gain, stigma and discrimination, diagnostic overshadowing where physical characteristics are attributed to their mental health and increased unhealthy behaviour like smoking,
What are the causes of mortality gap?
They are more likely to have multiple morbidity like obesity, COPD, diabetes, CHD - weight related is due to their medication.
How do people with severe mental illness have disproportionate rates?
Group with the greatest smoking rate, Poverty, homelessness, incarceration, social isolation and unemployment.
Why is smoking more prevalent in mentally ill patients?
Due to smoking culture in mental health services where staff smoke and offer to distressed patients as relief and inducted into smoking culture when newly admitted. Staff do not encourage smokers with SMI to access services and make false assumptions that they do not want to get better.
How does smoking contribute to poor mental health?
Increases health ineqaulity, tobacco poverty, stigma around smoking, reduced life expectancy and poorer physical health.
How can smoking in those with severe mental illness be addressed?
SCIMITAR model which is an intesntive personalised smoking cessation service for severe mentally ill patients. Mental health professional with training or GPs provide behavioural support to reduce nicotine to quit.
