Cited by 2,976Mental Health Treatment and AccessSuicide and Self-Harm StudiesSchizophrenia research and treatment

The DOI matches its Crossref record, with a small difference in title or year; 43 of the 43 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Mortality in Mental Disorders and Global Disease Burden Implications: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Despite the potential importance of understanding excess mortality among people with mental disorders, no comprehensive meta-analyses have been conducted quantifying mortality across mental disorders. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of mortality among people with mental disorders and examine differences in mortality risks by type of death, diagnosis, and study characteristics. DATA SOURCES: We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and Web of Science from inception through May 7, 2014, including references of eligible articles. Our search strategy included terms for mental disorders (eg, mental disorders, serious mental illness, and severe mental illness), specific diagnoses (eg, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder), and mortality. We also used Google Scholar to identify articles that cited eligible articles. STUDY SELECTION: English-language cohort studies that reported a mortality estimate of mental disorders compared with a general population or controls from the same study setting without mental illness were included. Two reviewers independently reviewed the titles, abstracts, and articles. Of 2481 studies identified, 203 articles met the eligibility criteria and represented 29 countries in 6 continents. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: One reviewer conducted a full abstraction of all data, and 2 reviewers verified accuracy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Mortality estimates (eg, standardized mortality ratios, relative risks, hazard ratios, odds ratios, and years of potential life lost) comparing people with mental disorders and the general population or people without mental disorders. We used random-effects meta-analysis models to pool mortality ratios for all, natural, and unnatural causes of death. We also examined years of potential life lost and estimated the population attributable risk of mortality due to mental disorders. RESULTS: For all-cause mortality, the pooled relative risk of mortality among those with mental disorders (from 148 studies) was 2.22 (95% CI, 2.12-2.33). Of these, 135 studies revealed that mortality was significantly higher among people with mental disorders than among the comparison population. A total of 67.3% of deaths among people with mental disorders were due to natural causes, 17.5% to unnatural causes, and the remainder to other or unknown causes. The median years of potential life lost was 10 years (n = 24 studies). We estimate that 14.3% of deaths worldwide, or approximately 8 million deaths each year, are attributable to mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These estimates suggest that mental disorders rank among the most substantial causes of death worldwide. Efforts to quantify and address the global burden of illness need to better consider the role of mental disorders in preventable mortality.

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Metadata

Authors
Walker, E. R., McGee, R. E., & Druss, B. G.
Affiliations
Emory University (US)
Corresponding author
Walker, Elizabeth Reisinger
Venue
JAMA Psychiatry
Published
2015-04-01
Volume
72
Issue
4
Pages
334
ISSN
2168-622X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2097572674
Cited by
2,976
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 222 · 2025: 322 · 2024: 335 · 2023: 338 · 2022: 334 · 2021: 317 · 2020: 303 · 2019: 234 · 2018: 202 · 2017: 186 · 2016: 139 · 2015: 36
FWCI
307.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JAMA Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (5K24 MH07586703, K24MH075867)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (K12 GM 00680-05, K12GM000680)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords
mental illness, excess mortality, all-cause mortality, severe mental illness, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, years of potential life lost, population attributable risk, global burden of disease, causes of death, standardized mortality ratio, relative risk, health equity, health disparities, health workforce shortage, health care costs
MeSH terms
Mental Disorders, Cause of Death, Humans, Life Expectancy, Risk Factors, Cohort Studies, Cost of Illness, Internationality

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