87,000 mental health patient deaths 'were preventable'

ALMOST 87,000 people with severe mental illness have died from preventable health conditions such as respiratory, heart and liver diseases in three years, analysis shows.

- Hanna Geissler

Adults with acute problems such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have a life expectancy 15 to 20 years lower than the general population.

And the Royal College of Psychiatrists estimated two-thirds of the 130,000 deaths among sufferers between January 2020 December 2022 were preventable .

The reasons for poor physical health among those with mental illness are thought to include having less contact with health services.