Schizophrenia: A major risk factor for cardiovascular disease
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Ruth Ohlsen; Fiona Gaughran
- Source
- British Journal of Cardiac Nursing. 6:228-232
- Subject
- medicine.medical_specialty
business.industry
medicine.medical_treatment
Vulnerability
Disease
medicine.disease
Mental health
Lifestyle factors
Schizophrenia
medicine
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Bipolar disorder
Risk factor
Psychiatry
Antipsychotic
business
General Environmental Science
Clinical psychology
- Language
- ISSN
- 2052-2207
1749-6403
People with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses (SMIs) die earlier than mentally healthy people, largely because of the range of physical health problems they experience. This article reviews the factors behind the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in people with SMIs. These include lifestyle factors compounding a pre-existing vulnerability to metabolic disorders and also side-effects of antipsychotic drugs used in treatment of their condition. Examples from the literature of physical and behavioural strategies that have been trialled to prevent or manage this problem are discussed.