A virtual issue of the Australasian Psychiatry has been released focussing on the physical health of people with mental illness.
Australasian Psychiatry has a collection of articles relevant to significant problems facing many people with serious mental illness, the risk of deteriorating physical health and increased metabolic or cardiovascular risk.
This issue’s editorial titled ‘Doing right for our patients’ is written by RANZCP President, Dr Murray Patton.
The College is concerned that the gap between life expectancy in patients with a mental illness and the general population has widened since 1985. The College recently released two reports in an ongoing campaign advocating of behalf of members for better mental health care.
The first report, titled Keeping your head above water: affordability as a barrier to mental health care, examines the barriers to access to high-quality, timely and preventive care for people with mental illnesses in Australia, including the expected impacts of the 2014-2015 Federal Budget, discusses their consequences and makes recommendations for policy development. The second report, titled Minding the gaps: Cost barriers to accessing health care for people with mental illness examines cost barriers for people with a mental illness in New Zealand.
About Australasian Psychiatry
Promoting the art of psychiatry and its maintenance of excellence in practice, this bimonthly journal aims to promote lively and informed discussions about issues relevant to the practice of psychiatry.