University Healthcare Essay: Comorbidity and Mental Health

This essay investigates the significant impact of comorbidity, the co-occurrence of mental and physical illnesses, on the overall health outcomes of individuals with mental health challenges. It begins by establishing that the life expectancy of people with serious mental illnesses is often shorter than that of the general population, and highlights the disproportionate prevalence of medical comorbidities such as respiratory conditions, cancer, heart disease, and metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity. The essay explores the reasons behind this, including the effects of certain medications, such as atypical antipsychotics, which can increase the risk of metabolic complications. It further discusses various practices and approaches to address these challenges, emphasizing the need for person-centered care and integrated healthcare models. The essay references several studies and research, including collaborative care models and WHO recommendations, to support the argument for improved healthcare delivery systems and better recognition of health inequalities for mentally challenged individuals. The conclusion reiterates the importance of integrated care, psychological treatments, and structured management approaches to effectively address the risk factors associated with physical illnesses comorbid with severe mental illness.

Running Head: HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE
Name of the Student
University Name
Author Note

HEALTHCARE 1

HEALTHCARE 2
Introduction The entire life span of people suffering from serious mental
illness is generally shorter as compared to the general population.
The main argument of the essay is to highlight and explain the
impacts of comorbidity regarding physical illness for the mentally
challenged persons over their overall health outcomes.
Body:
A. (Background
Information)
According to research studies, there
has been high rate of premature
death and disproportionate medial
comorbidities among people having
mental illness. Mental illness among
individual can be explained as the
behavioural disorders and mental
challenges that result in some of
significant impairment of functions
and furthermore hinders the ability
of an individual towards
performance of one or more life
activities.
B. Main Reasons for
argument
Evidence Resources
1. Illness associated with
mental challenges
Major depressive disorders,
schizophrenia and BPAD or bipolar
Berrigan, L. I., Fisk, J. D.,
Patten, S. B., Tremlett,

HEALTHCARE 3
among individuals affective disorders are some of the
major illnesses categorized under
serious mental illness. The life
expectancy of individual having
serious mental illness is less than 30
years as compared to the general
population. Some of the physical
illness that tend to occur comorbidly
to the mentally challenged people
are respiratory conditions, cancer,
heart disease and metabolic
disorders like diabetes and obesity.
H., Wolfson, C.,
Warren, S., ... &
Marrie, R. A. (2016).
Health-related quality
of life in multiple
sclerosis: direct and
indirect effects of
comorbidity. Neurolo
gy, 86(15), 1417-
1424.
2.
Physical illness
comorbidity for individual
having mental illness
The contribution of high prevalence
of medical comorbidity among
mentally challenged individuals
leads to increased risk towards
weight gain and atypical
antipsychotics. There has been
clinical researches that has shown
significant connection among the
usage of antipsychotic medication
and the formation of the
complications related to metabolic
Scott, K. M., Lim, C., Al-
Hamzawi, A., Alonso,
J., Bruffaerts, R.,
Caldas-de-Almeida, J.
M., ... & Kawakami,
N. (2016). Association
of mental disorders
with subsequent
chronic physical
conditions: world
mental health surveys

HEALTHCARE 4
that contributes to the high rate of
cardiovascular mortality that is
observed in the individual having
severe mental challenges.
from 17
countries. JAMA
psychiatry, 73(2), 150-
158.
3.
Practices for comorbidity
of physical illness for
mentally challenged
There lie several of the risk factors
regarding the above stated physical
illness. According to the researches,
there have been an increased
evidences regarding the disparities
that exist within the medical care for
the provision for the mentally
challenged individuals (Whiteford et
al., 2015). Some of the best practises
and approaches includes the
recognition of the connection among
the body and mind of human for the
provision of the client centred and
holistic care. The recommended
approaches that the essay aim to
described includes the need or the
requirement for improved care
system of delivery for highlighting
Whiteford, H. A., Ferrari, A.
J., Degenhardt, L.,
Feigin, V., & Vos, T.
(2015). The global
burden of mental,
neurological and
substance use
disorders: an analysis
from the Global
Burden of Disease
Study 2010. PloS
one, 10(2), e0116820.

HEALTHCARE 5
the experience of health inequalities
by people having severe mental
illness. Thus addressing of
comorbidity for the mental
challenges calls for person centred
approach for design ,management
and the development of the services
of health by the nursing
professionals. According to the
research study by Scott et al.(2016),
collaborative care model has been
one of the treatment options
projecting the interventions related
to the role of mental health nurses.
WHO recommends that there lies a
strong evidence regarding the
effectiveness of collaborative care
for the management of the
conditions related to common
mental health.
V. Conclusion Mental illness among individual can be explained as the
behavioural disorders and mental challenges that result in some of

HEALTHCARE 6
significant impairment of functions and furthermore hinders the
ability of an individual towards performance of one or more life
activities. There lies several models and approaches for the
intervention of the risk factors for the physical illness that occurs
comorbidly with the condition of severe mental illness. Regarding
the implications for the health services for mentally challenged
individuals, integrated care is essential for the management of
depression among people having diabetes, provision of
psychological treatments for people by the team of pulmonary
rehabilitation and the structured management approach including
follow up of patient and inter professional communication are
required.

HEALTHCARE 7
Reference
Berrigan, L. I., Fisk, J. D., Patten, S. B., Tremlett, H., Wolfson, C., Warren, S., ... & Marrie, R.
A. (2016). Health-related quality of life in multiple sclerosis: direct and indirect effects of
comorbidity. Neurology, 86(15), 1417-1424.
Merikangas, K. R., Calkins, M. E., Burstein, M., He, J. P., Chiavacci, R., Lateef, T., ... & Gur, R.
E. (2015). Comorbidity of physical and mental disorders in the neurodevelopmental
genomics cohort study. Pediatrics, 135(4), e927-e938.
Scott, K. M., Lim, C., Al-Hamzawi, A., Alonso, J., Bruffaerts, R., Caldas-de-Almeida, J. M., ...
& Kawakami, N. (2016). Association of mental disorders with subsequent chronic
physical conditions: world mental health surveys from 17 countries. JAMA
psychiatry, 73(2), 150-158.
Whiteford, H. A., Ferrari, A. J., Degenhardt, L., Feigin, V., & Vos, T. (2015). The global burden
of mental, neurological and substance use disorders: an analysis from the Global Burden
of Disease Study 2010. PloS one, 10(2), e0116820.