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Background: Patients with a psychiatric illness have a higher prevalence of physical diseases and thus a higher morbidity and mortality. Aim: The main aim was to investigate where patients with co-occurring physical diseases and mental disorders (psychotic spectrum or mood) in the health and social service system are identified most frequently before admission into psychiatry. The second aim was to compare the differences in the treatment routes taken by the patients before entry into psychiatric services in all the participating countries (Denmark, Germany, Japan, Nigeria and Switzerland). Methodology: On admission to a psychiatric service, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizotypal or delusional disorders (International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) group F2) or mood (affective) disorders (ICD-10 group F3) and a co-morbid physical condition (cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and overweight) were asked with which institutions or persons they had been in contact with in the previous 6 months. Results: Patients from Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with mental disorders had almost the same contact pattern. Their primary contact was to public or private psychiatry, with a contact percentage of 46%–91%; in addition, general practice was a common contact, with a margin of 41%–93%. Similar tendencies are seen in Japan despite the small sample size. With regard to general practice, this is also the case with Nigerian patients. However, religious guidance or healing was rarely sought by patients in Europe and Japan, while in Nigeria about 80% of patients with mental disorders had contacted this type of service. Conclusion: Promoting prophylactic work between psychiatry and the general practice sector may be beneficial in diminishing physical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and overweight in patients with mental disorders in European countries and Japan. In Nigeria (a low-to-middle-income country), religious guides or healers, along with general practitioners, are the most frequently contacted, and they therefore seem to be the most obvious partner to collaborate with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical comorbidities and substance use are commonly reported in patients with mental disorders.Aim: To examine somatic comorbidity in patients with substance use disorders (SUD) compared to patients with mental disorders but no SUD.Methods: Lifetime prevalence data on mental and physical health status were collected from inpatients in 12 mental health care facilities in five different countries. Differences in somatic comorbidity were examined by means of logistic regression analysis controlling for age and gender.Results: Of 2,338 patients, 447 (19%) had a primary or secondary SUD diagnosis. In comparison to patients with other mental disorders, patients with SUD had a higher prevalence of infectious and digestive diseases but a lower prevalence of endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders. Patterns of physical comorbidities differed according to type of substance used (alcohol use – cardiovascular; tobacco use – respiratory, neoplasms; cannabinoid use – injuries; opioid use – infectious, digestive; benzodiazepine use – endocrine, nutritional, metabolic; stimulants – urogenital).Conclusions: SUD are related to specific somatic health risks while some of our findings point to potentially protective effects. The widespread prescription of benzodiazepines requires research on physical health effects. Early detection of SUD and their integration into programmes targeting physical comorbidity should be a priority in organizing mental health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports a study to examine the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes (DM) and obesity in schizophrenia and depression in various geographical areas to analyze the transcultural differences among them. The results revealed that incidence of obesity, CVD and DM were higher in schizophrenia spectrum disorders and affective disorders. It is concluded that cultural background is an important factor in dealing with lifestyle diseases among people with mental illnesses.