Psychiatric patient is more likely to suffer violence and death from diseases

People with severe mental illness are more prone to violence and have a higher risk of mortality than patients hospitalized for other clinical conditions, reveals a study carried out by Brazilian and American researchers and published in the scientific journal The Lancet.

The research analyzed hospitalizations and deaths within the scope of the SUS (Unified Health System). The objective of the scientists from UFSJ (Federal University of São João del-Rei), UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) and University of Washington was to verify the care provided to people with mental illness in a developing country and compare the data with the literature. from developed countries.

For this, they considered the hospital and mortality information systems of the Ministry of Health, making the cut from patients classified as having schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression at the time of admission to the hospital.

From January 1, 2000 to April 21, 2015, 72,021,918 patients were hospitalized, of which 749,720 (1.04%) had severe mental illness. In all, 5,102,055 died, of which 67,485 (1.32%) were psychiatric patients.

When analyzing the numbers, the researchers found greater risks of death associated with infections such as tuberculosis and HIV and with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and epilepsy among psychiatric patients. They also observed higher levels of death from suicide, from unintentional injuries such as fires and falls, and from homicide.

“Patients with severe mental illness, especially females, are highly exposed to violence and have a relative risk that is 2.4 times the rate of hospitalized patients without severe mental illness,” the authors state. They also highlight the high prevalence of sexual violence against psychiatric patients, higher among women (26.6%) than among men (12.5%), and the high risk of mortality from preventable infections.

“Deaths from these conditions indicate that this population did not receive the necessary health care. Many patients with severe mental illness do not have regular access to primary care and there are many stigmas related to mental health, which can affect the quality of care that these patients receive. patients receive,” say the researchers.

For them, it is urgent to invest in suicide prevention and in interventions to avoid accidents and injuries, especially among psychiatric patients between 15 and 29 years old. It is also necessary to remove barriers to the integration of care.

“Each psychiatric hospitalization presents an opportunity for general medical evaluation, enabling preventive health measures that can save lives,” say the researchers.

WHERE TO FIND HELP FOR SUICIDE CASES?

Mental Health Map

Site maps different types of service: www.mapasaudemental.com.br

CVV (Life Appreciation Center)

Volunteers answer toll-free calls 24 hours a day at number 188: www.cvv.org.br.

BE CAREFUL IF SOMEONE NEAR YOU…

• Showing a lack of hope or too much concern about their own death

• Expressing suicidal thoughts or intentions

• Isolating yourself from your social activities and cutting off contact with others

• In addition: losing a job, suffering discrimination due to sexual orientation or gender identity, suffering psychological or physical aggression, decreasing self-care practices.