Promotion of physical health and healthy lifestyle behaviors in patients with severe mental disorders

The increased incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, such as obesity, dyslipidae-mia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome has led to a significantly reduced life expectancy for patients with severe mental disorders (SMD). The primary cause of the high comorbidity rates between mental and physical illnesses is the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as poor diet and physical inactivity, heavy smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, and limited access to screening programs and medical check-ups for physical conditions. Additional factors include the presence of cognitive deficits, depressive symptoms, p, neglect of physical health needs by patients and caregivers, and the metabolic side effects of psychotropic medications, such as antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants. The need to improve the physical healthcare for people with SMD through medical screenings, monitoring, and regular check-ups, as well as the need to provide psychosocial interventions aimed at modifying risk factors, such as unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, has been highlighted recently. Furthermore, changes to the healthcare system and delivery of care may be necessary to address the inadequate medi-cal healthcare provided to patients with SMD. Aims of the present paper are to provide: 1) an overview of the most frequent comorbidities reported by patients with SMD; 2) results coming from the LIFESTYLE trial, a randomized controlled trial on the impact of a behavioural lifestyle intervention on physical exercise in patients with SMD; 3) recommendations for monitoring the physical health of people with SMD.