Open AccessIncreased prevalence of chronic physical health disorders in Australians with diagnosed mental illness
Author(s) -
Scott David,
Burke Karena,
Williams Susan,
Happell Brenda,
Canoy Doreen,
Ronan Kevin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2012.00916.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mental illness , chronic bronchitis , mental health , body mass index , asthma , psychiatry , comorbidity , odds ratio , irritable bowel syndrome , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology
Objective:To compare chronic physical health disorder prevalence amongst Australian adults with and without mental illness.Method:Total n=1,716 participants (58% female) with a mean age of 52 ± 13 years (range: 18 to 89 years) completed an online survey of Australian adults in 2010. Outcome measures including prevalence of chronic physical conditions and self‐reported body mass index (BMI) in n=387 (23%) with a self‐reported mental illness diagnosis were compared to respondents without mental illness.Results:A significantly higher proportion of participants with mental illness were obese (BMI ≥ 30; 31 vs 24%, p =0.005). Adjusted odds ratios (OR) for coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and food allergies or intolerances (OR range: 1.54–3.19) demonstrated that chronic physical disorders were significantly more common in participants with a mental illness.Conclusion:Australian adults with a diagnosis for mental illness have a significantly increased likelihood of demonstrating chronic physical health disorders compared to persons without mental illness.Implications:Health professionals must be alert to the increased likelihood of comorbid chronic physical disorders in persons with a mental illness and should consider the adoption of holistic approaches when treating those with either a mental or physical illness.