Physical health key to mental health

The inclusion of physical health for the first time in a five-year national plan detailing priority areas for Australia’s mental health system is a vital step toward improving lives, according to Quit Victoria.

Quit Victoria Director Dr Sarah White said people with mental illness were in far poorer physical health than other Australians, with much of the disease burden linked to high smoking rates.

She said the Fifth National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan, encourages a greater focus on reducing important risk factors such as smoking.

The plan notes that compared with the general population, people living with mental illness are 65 per cent more likely to smoke; 50 per cent more likely to have cancer; twice as likely to have cardiovascular disease; and twice as likely to have respiratory disease.

Dr White said smokers with mental illness were far more likely to die from their smoking than as a result of their psychiatric condition.

“The statistics are stark – Australian men with mental illness live 15.9 years less and women live 12 years less than those without mental illness, and most of the excess morbidity and mortality is attributable to smoking-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer.

“Smokers often perceive their smoking to be helpful in relieving or managing psychiatric symptoms, such as feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. However, recent evidence suggests that the reverse is true; quitting smoking for at least six weeks actually improves mental health, mood, and quality of life, both among the general population and among people with a psychiatric disorder.”

Quit Victoria is working with five pilot sites on a project to embed smoking cessation into routine care for people with mental illness.

Head to quit.org.au.