A new study from the University of Michigan has found that people with mental health conditions are much more likely to experience physical injuries.
These injuries include not only self-harm or assaults, but also unintentional accidents like falls and car crashes. The research shows an urgent need to include injury prevention in mental health care. The study was published in the journal Nature Mental Health.
In the past, studies have mostly looked at mental health in connection with long-term illnesses or with serious incidents like suicide attempts or assaults. But until now, very little attention has been paid to everyday accidents and injuries in people with mental health conditions.
The new research highlights that these unintentional injuries are actually the most common type of injury and can have serious consequences.
Dr. Leah Richmond-Rakerd, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of psychology, explained that injuries are a major public health concern. They are one of the top causes of early death in the United States and around the world.
Injuries also lead to long-term pain, disability, and lost work time. The study found that poor mental health increases the chance of all kinds of injuries—not just intentional ones.
To learn more about this connection, the researchers studied medical and insurance records from almost 5 million people in Norway and New Zealand.
They used data from primary care visits, hospital stays, and injury insurance claims to identify both mental health diagnoses and injury events. These individuals were followed for periods of 14 to 30 years.
The study showed that people with mental health conditions had a much higher risk of being injured. This included injuries from self-harm, from being attacked, and from accidents. The increased risk was seen in many different types of mental health conditions.
The risk was especially high for injuries to the head and brain. The link between mental health and injuries remained strong even when researchers took into account the person’s income or whether they had been injured before.
These findings show that people with mental health conditions face more dangers in everyday life than previously thought. The researchers say this group of people is often overlooked when it comes to injury prevention.
They also say that mental health care needs to change. It should include information about how to prevent injuries, not just how to manage mental illness.
Hospitals and clinics could also use visits for mental health problems as a chance to talk about safety and injury prevention. Public health programs should also do more to track and prevent injuries in this population.
The researchers believe that taking a more complete approach to health care—one that includes both mental health and physical safety—could save lives. By understanding this important connection, doctors and policymakers can better support people with mental health conditions and keep them safe.
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