People suffering from severe mental illnesses die prematurely

We're hearing people with severe mental illness die prematurely – up to twenty years younger than others in the general population.

This is due to a variety of factors, including living a lonely lifestyle - which leads to physical health conditions on top of mental conditions.

This week Ulster University announced the launch of CHOICE (Challenging Health Outcomes–Integrating Care Environments), a new online resource designed to reduce social exclusion among individuals living with severe mental illness.

The initiative connects service users to a diverse network of community activities, groups, organisations, and services that addresses important practical social and emotional needs.

The CHOICE project uses social prescribing, a non-medical approach to improving health to empower individuals, fostering better physical and mental wellbeing.

Professor Gerard Leavey, Director of The Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing at Ulster University said: “As a group, people with severe mental illness die prematurely – up to twenty years younger than others in the general population and have high rates of multiple physical health problems.”

“Additionally, they are some of the loneliest and most socially isolated people in our society. We have known this for over two decades, but the health disparities persist.”

“CHOICE is an attempt to tackle the exclusion and poor health of people living with enduring mental illness through social prescribing - a non-medical approach to improving health and delivered by a team of Community Navigators working in partnership with our community coalition.”

CHOICE is a major £1.9 million project funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council and is part of The Mobilising Community Assets to Reduce Health Inequalities Programme.

It has been co-designed with people with lived experience of mental health challenges and is supported by a large community coalition of cultural, sports and health organisations in the voluntary and statutory sectors, ensuring a holistic and inclusive approach.

You can hear more about this story in our hourly bulletins: https://hellorayo.co.uk/cool-fm/