Inequitable Physical Illness and Premature Mortality for People with Severe Mental Illness in Australia: A Social Analysis

Australians with severe mental illness experience inequitably high rates of physical illness and shortened life expectancy compared to the general population. A social analysis of this phenomenon incorporating a precis of historical and contemporary public health approaches reveals persistent discrimination and entrenched social disadvantage influencing access to appropriate physical health care. People with severe mental illness in Australia are among the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in society, with fragmented and inadequate health and social services materially influencing their physical health status and longevity. Enhanced multi-sectoral collaboration, integrated physical and mental health care models, empowerment strategies, and privileging of a lay perspective within program design are critical to challenging this enduring infringement on the human right to health.