About this Research Topic
Severe mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are associated with very high rates of metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. There is a marked increase in standardised mortality ratios for both natural and unnatural causes of death in cases of SMI. Much of this increment may be attributed to the increased prevalence of obesity and related coronary heart disease risk in this population. Beyond cardiovascular risk, this has implications on other facets of clinical status including cognitive performance, medication compliance/response, and quality of life. The reasons driving this association are complex, including contributing effects of illness-associated lifestyle factors, illness biology, and psychotropic treatments. Unfortunately, rates of non-treatment for these medical conditions are high in SMI, representing an unmet medical need.
The goal of this Research Topic is to consider the neurobiological, psychological, and pathophysiological mechanisms that may underlie the relationship between SMI and metabolic dysfunction. In addition it will examine newer treatment approaches to address this problem. It will include data from studies conducted across various settings and paradigms including fundamental research, as well as clinical and intervention studies in neuroscience, biology, social medicine, philosophy and psychology. We will seek to highlight state-of-the-art studies at the intersection of mental and physical health and to accelerate advances in the field aiming to improve physical and mental well-being of vulnerable individuals suffering from SMI.
We welcome manuscripts with a conceptual or methodological focus and papers reporting original data. Studies addressing the following specific themes are strongly encouraged:
• The pathophysiological basis of the relationship between SMI and cardiovascular morbidity including genetic and physiology based studies
• The pathophysiological basis of the relationship between psychotropic medications and cardiovascular morbidity
• Interventions to improve physical health in those suffering from SMI
• Studies reporting prevalence and rates of treatment for physical health illness in those suffering from SMI
• Studies reporting association between metabolic and cognitive function, and the impact of psychotropic/other interventions on this relationship
• New hypotheses, conceptual frameworks, or research paradigms that improve the understanding of how to address this problem or that enhance the treatment approaches required to solve it.
The goal of this Research Topic is to consider the neurobiological, psychological, and pathophysiological mechanisms that may underlie the relationship between SMI and metabolic dysfunction. In addition it will examine newer treatment approaches to address this problem. It will include data from studies conducted across various settings and paradigms including fundamental research, as well as clinical and intervention studies in neuroscience, biology, social medicine, philosophy and psychology. We will seek to highlight state-of-the-art studies at the intersection of mental and physical health and to accelerate advances in the field aiming to improve physical and mental well-being of vulnerable individuals suffering from SMI.
We welcome manuscripts with a conceptual or methodological focus and papers reporting original data. Studies addressing the following specific themes are strongly encouraged:
• The pathophysiological basis of the relationship between SMI and cardiovascular morbidity including genetic and physiology based studies
• The pathophysiological basis of the relationship between psychotropic medications and cardiovascular morbidity
• Interventions to improve physical health in those suffering from SMI
• Studies reporting prevalence and rates of treatment for physical health illness in those suffering from SMI
• Studies reporting association between metabolic and cognitive function, and the impact of psychotropic/other interventions on this relationship
• New hypotheses, conceptual frameworks, or research paradigms that improve the understanding of how to address this problem or that enhance the treatment approaches required to solve it.
Keywords: Severe Mental Illness, Obesity, Cardiovascular Health, Treatment, Prevention
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
