In a World Health Organization report there were six top major health risks identified. These are hypertension, smoking, high or raised glucose level, being physically inactive, obesity and high cholesterol. Patients who have Schizophrenia often have high levels in each of these categories. People with Bipolar Disorder have high levels in five of the six, and often are high in all six areas as well.

With the development of the newer atypical antipsychotic medications, people with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are less likely to be lost to issues such as suicide that was prevalent in the 1950's. Now there is an increase in the death rate of people dying 25 years early due to what is being called modifiable risk factors. Modifiable risk factors are things that can be changed through lifestyle. Early death is still happening, it is just happening due to different reasons.

What is not certain is what health problems are due to the mental illness/disease itself, what is due to lifestyle and how much can be changed. What is known is that people with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis are dying 25 years earlier than the general population due to problems that could be addressed through lifestyle changes. People, especially those with Schizophrenia, often show signs and symptoms consistent with premature aging.

There are a few smaller studies that state that these modifiable risk factors can be improved through lifestyle changes and better medical management. Review of data show that people with mental illnesses are dying from the same causes as people in the general population, but at a much increased rate. The mortality gap is widening. Case fatality rates have remained stable in people with Schizophrenia, but have declined in the general population.

What is not known is if part of the early death rate is due to things, such as patients being denied access to good medical care, due to an excess of cigarette smoking in people with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, or due to other factors.

Modifiable Risk Factors

some studies show high rates of cancer and deaths in comparison with the general population. There are similar risks for smokers in the general population. Smoking rates in the general population have fallen, but smoking rates in the population of people who have a serious mental illness have not.