Improving the physical health of the mentally ill: recent advances

Purpose of review This review of the literature examines the most recent advances in the battle to improve the physical health of people with severe mental illness. Covering the 2018/2019 time period, the article offers a glance of future healthcare models and research directions. Recent findings A systematic search of the PubMed and Cochrane databases, along with additional journal articles available online but not yet allocated to a journal edition, produced a total of 24 journal articles suitable for review. The review period was from January 2018 to December 2019. The four main themes of investigation, intervention, integration and training emerged. Summary The uptake and integration of primary care into mental health services for people with SMI is still facing many barriers. Healthy lifestyle and physical activity interventions need to run alongside medical treatment for both mental and physical health in order to provide holistic care. To do this, clarification of professional roles and responsibility need to be defined and adhered to, along with additional training for staff and coordination of services.
Source: Current Opinion in Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: PSYCHIATRY, MEDICINE AND THE BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES: Edited by Mohan Isaac and Igor Filipcic Source Type: research