Mental health, employment and housing

Why Do People with Severe Mental Illness Have Poor Cardiovascular Health?—The Need for Implementing a Recovery-Based Self-Management Approach

“…Researchers have observed that the nature and complexity of the SMI-related symptoms (disorganised behaviours, major depression and anxiety, cognitive impairment, problems with social skills) often lead to high rates of unemployment, underpinning the financial hardship among people with SMI [ 11 ]. Financial hardship frequently impacts this group’s capacity to access transportation and maintain consistent housing or accommodation [ 12 ]. The unpredictability or absence of housing and transport can disengage individuals with SMI from their community, diminishing their overall quality of life.…”

“…Due to the complexity of SMI and related positive symptoms (delusions, hallucinations), it is not unusual for this population to experience significant social stigma, self-stigma, social exclusion and isolation [ 13 ]. As a consequence, people with SMI may be more prone to live in unsafe environments that expose them to greater risks of substance abuse such as heavy smoking, alcoholism and drug misuse [ 11 , 12 ], contributing to the likelihood of CVD. In addition, due to the ongoing social stigma towards mental illness, service users may struggle to fully engage and participate in, or gain equitable access to, meaningful community activities as citizens.…”