People with a severe mental illness face a reduced life expectancy of 15 years compared to the general population. Traditionally care for people with a mental illness focuses on the symptoms of the disorder and not the physical implications of the disease.
Mental illness has a systemic impact on the body. 50% of individuals with a mental illness have cardiovascular disease, 75% are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. They are 85% more likely to die from CVD compared with the general population.
So when treating mental illness we have to consider both the mind and the body. Exercise under the supervision of an Exercise Physiologist has been shown to have a significant and positive impact on improving the symptoms of mental health.