About this Research Topic
Excess mortality and morbidity in SMI has been explained by intertwined components, which include individual patients’ factors (e.g., severity of symptoms, impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, deficits in cognitive and social skills), lifestyle behaviors (e.g., smoking, poor diet, sedentary behavior, alcohol and drug abuse), social disadvantages (i.e., stigma, discriminating policies, unemployment, homelessness, limited family, social and community resources) and healthcare disparities (e.g., poor quality of service provision, limited access to health information, reduced prescriptions for physical check-ups, professionals’ negative attitudes towards people with an SMI). The management of physical illnesses in people with SMI is becoming a public health priority, and it will likely be even more important in the years to come, due to several factors, including 1) increased life expectancy; 2) the fragmentation of medicine into smaller specialties; 3) the difficulties of health professionals managing patients with mental health problems and comorbid physical conditions. Interventions aimed at reducing risk factors and improving the physical health of people with severe mental disorders may be taken at different levels, including 1) policy-making levels, through the development of national policies for the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors and the development of comprehensive health-care packages; 2) public health action e.g., through the improvement of screening programs for physical conditions and the promotion of care coordination strategies; 3) the individual clinical level, through the promotion of early management and treatment of physical conditions in patients with SMIs, and the development and the implementation of cognitive-behavioral interventions addressing unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.
The overall aim of the present Research Topic is to improve the understanding of the complex relationship between mortality and being mentally ill. Papers on the prevalence of comorbid medical conditions, on mortality rates, risk factors and treatment strategies for patients with SMIs, and co-occurring physical diseases are welcome. Moreover, we highly welcome manuscripts on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being, physical health and mortality of patients with SMIs.
All forms of submissions are allowed: Original Research articles, Review, Method articles, Clinical Trials, Case Reports, Mini-Reviews, Perspectives, and Hypotheses & Theories.
Keywords: Physical health, mental health, Lifestyle psychosocial interventions, mortality gap
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.