Osteoporosis in people with severe mental illness: A forgotten condition.

摘要

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are severe mental illnesses (SMI) that affect around 1 % of the population. They are amongst the leading causes of disability and impact social, work, occupational, interpersonal and self-care functioning. Following the introduction of antipsychotic medication in the 1950s, the lives of many people with SMI have been transformed with steadily fewer psychiatric in-patients and increased independence in the community.As treatments of psychosis have improved, there has been an increasing awareness of the need for high quality physical health care for those with SMI. Schizophrenia is associated with a threefold increased risk of premature death, and shortened life expectancy of 10-20 years. Although suicide and trauma are important causes of death, around three quarters of all deaths are attributable to physical illness, with cardiovascular disease being the commonest cause of death.