Understanding Infectious Disease Mortality In People With Severe Mental Illness

People with severe mental illnesses are more likely to die from infectious disease than the general population. For example, evidence suggests that people with severe mental illness are more likely to die from infections such as pneumonia, septicaemia and COVID-19. However little is known about the risk levels across other types of infection, or what the underlying factors are that might explain this increased risk of premature mortality.

The project

This project will analyse data to answer a number of different questions about the complex interplay between severe mental illness, different types of infection and external factors:

1. Does having a severe mental illness increase the risk of mortality from certain infections more than others?
2. What are the predictors most strongly associated with infection-related premature mortality in people with severe mental illnesses?
3. How do external factors such as socio-economic position, health inequalities and access to healthcare play a role in infection-related premature mortality among people with severe mental illnesses?
4. Does using anti-psychotic medication reduce the risk of infection-related premature mortality?

The process

The project will use anonymous national healthcare data, collected over more than 20 years, to examine the links between different mental illnesses and premature mortality caused by infectious diseases. This healthcare data will also allow for the assessment of several different factors relating to health inequalities, access to healthcare, and use of psychotropic medications.

The potential

This project will increase our understanding of premature death from infection in people with severe mental illness. Better understanding may lead to the development of preventative interventions and inform health policy, which, in turn, will improve the health of people with mental illness.