The findings by the Open Public Services Network, funded by the UK Cabinet Office and in partnership with Mind, said the physical health needs of people with mental health problems were not being addressed by GPs.
According to the report people with a serious mental health condition are more likely to die before the age of 75 from a range of treatable physical illnesses.
The report said “although suicide does count for a significant proportion of these deaths, an estimated 60-70% of excess mortality among people with mental illness is due to physical ill health.”
Read more here.
The findings are significant. There has been a lot of publicity in New Zealand about the fairness of loading life insurance premiums for those with mental health issues. The rise in levels of diagnosis are a reasonable basis for increasing skepticism about the link between mental health problems and death rates (a rise in death rates is against the long-run trend, so it is more likely to be a rise in diagnosis). However, this research supports the view of insurers that loading life cover rates for mental health issues is justified.