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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Thomas L. Horn, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, c/o Worcester State Hospital, 305 Belmont St., Worcester, MA 01604, 508-368-3369, Thomas.Horn@DMH.state.ma.us
It has been evident for some time that persons with a serious and persistent mental illness suffer from a variety of medical disorders and on average die younger than the general population. The Central Massachusetts Area of the state Department of Mental Health (DMH) undertook a study to identify what medical disorders adult DMH clients, all of whom have a serious and persistent mental illness, suffer from and with what prevalence. A review of the records of 535 DMH clients who received residential services in CY 1999 was conducted, and the medical diagnoses recorded for each client, along with client identifier, gender, age and other information. The group reviewed was 60.1% male and 39.9% female and had an average age of 42.1 years. The following prevalences of illnesses were found: pulmonary disorders 29%, hypertension 15%, gastrointestinal disorders 15%, diabetes mellitus 13%, thyroid disorders 9%. Women suffered disproportionately from most of these disorders. A study to begin looking at weight as a risk factor found that 49% of a state hospital inpatient population were obese (BMI>30.0). Given also the amount of cigarette smoking in this population, weight management and smoking cessation/reduction would appear to be important targets for risk factor modification.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Mental Health Services,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.