He concluded his remarks by revisiting the Global Burden of Disease study, which found that patients with mental and substance use face a lifespan that’s shortened by an average of 10 years. Some 67% of this premature mortality is tied to the earlier onset of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while suicide only accounted for 17.5% of early deaths. “Therefore, when treating bipolar disorder, look for co-occurring medical illness, signs of metabolic burden, and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet,” he said. Other emerging data suggest that in patients with bipolar disorder, premature death tied to cardiovascular disease exceeds that tied to suicide (Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2011 Feb;23[1]:40-7). “It’s almost as if we need a nurse seeing our patients before or after we see them, to counsel them about healthy living and how, over time, lifespan is shortened if you don’t get this illness treated,” he said.
Dr. Calabrese reported having numerous financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.