Chapter 33: Meeting the physical health needs of mental health service users
1. What do the terms comorbidity and multimorbidity refer to?
Answer: These terms describe people with coexisting diseases, disorders, conditions, illnesses or health problems.
2. For people with serious mental health problems which bodily systems show the most comorbid physical health problems?
Answer: Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
3. What is the largest modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease worldwide?
Answer: Smoking behaviour
4. For mental health service users who also use alcohol or other substances, what is likely to be the main factor in choice of drug?
5. Guidance highlights collaborative or integrated care to achieve optimal physical health care for mental health service users, what does this involve?
Answer: Joint working between mental health and primary care services
6. What do published prevalence and incidence rates tell us about co-morbid physical ill-health for people with serious mental illness diagnoses?
Answer: There is considerable under-recognition, diagnosis and treatment of physical health problems for this group
7. How is the term ‘diagnostic overshadowing’ used?
Answer: To describe a health interaction where the clinician assessing the person’s needs responds only to what they would expect to be a symptom of their (recorded) primary diagnosis
