Mental Health Medication Concern

Many people with severe mental health problems miss out on the care they should
receive for physical illnesses, researchers say.

A British Journal of Psychiatry paper found those with severe mental illness were less likely to get drugs for conditions such as high blood pressure.

The University of Leicester team reviewed 61 existing studies to reach their conclusions.

Campaigners said patients' physical health was "often overlooked".

The studies analysed by the team covered almost two million people, mainly living in the US.

They looked at treatment of conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis and HIV.

It was found that patients with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, received lower than expected prescriptions for essential drugs to treat high blood pressure, including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers and statins.

Overall, it was estimated that the rate of undertreatment for medical conditions was 10% for those with severe mental illness.

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