Ian Hamilton explores a recent Finnish study of adolescent tobacco smoking and the risk of psychosis, which found that young people aged 15-16 who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day were three times more likely to have psychosis by the time they reached age 30.
[read the full story...]The burden of mortality and morbidity carried by marginalised populations
Noortje Uphoff appraises a systematic review and meta-analysis of morbidity and mortality in homeless individuals, prisoners, sex workers and individuals with substance use disorders in high-income countries.
[read the full story...]Poorer cardiovascular screening, diagnosis and management if you have a mental illness
Joanne Wallace summarises a systematic review that highlights disparities in the management of cardiovascular risk factors in people with mental illness.
[read the full story...]People with severe mental illness have more adverse outcomes from medical or surgical treatment
Laoise Renwick considers the findings of a recent systematic review on the safety of service users with severe mental illness receiving inpatient care on medical and surgical wards.
[read the full story...]People with severe mental illness die younger and things are getting worse
Judith Harrison publishes her debut blog on a recent cohort study in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which shows that the “mortality gap” is increasing for people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
[read the full story...]Life expectancy in schizophrenia and years of potential life lost
Joanne Wallace summarises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that reinforces the urgent call for better interventions to address the causes of premature death in schizophrenia.
[read the full story...]Second National Audit of Schizophrenia highlights lack of progress for service users and carers
André Tomlin summarises the second National Audit of Schizophrenia, which highlights that many people with schizophrenia are still not getting the high quality psychological and medical treatment they deserve.
[read the full story...]Schizophrenia Commission report highlights what we can all do to improve care and understanding
The research and campaigns relating to life outcomes for people with schizophrenia and psychosis are truly shocking. It seems unbelievable that people with schizophrenia face a lifespan 15-20 years shorter than the general population and that only 7% are able to hold down a job. Paul Jenkins from Rethink Mental Illness sums it up nicely: [read the full story…]