Walk the talk: Lifestyle interventions for mental health

Abstract

In the coming decades, the burden of mental illness and other chronic diseases will increase due to unhealthy lifestyles, aging populations, and climate change. People with severe mental illness face even greater challenges, resulting in poorer health outcomes. Mitigating these outcomes requires promoting healthy lifestyles, which can prevent and treat both mental and physical diseases while contributing to sustainable living. This thesis on lifestyle interventions for mental health investigated lifestyle interventions in supported housing organisations, the role of the health professional, and the challenges in the use of psychotropic medication. It found that for successful implementation of lifestyle interventions in supported housing organisations one should focus on staff. Moreover, live videoconferencing for exercise is accessible for people with severe mental illness, since they can participate in their familiar environment. Additionally, the Muva lifestyle intervention improved social functioning in people with severe mental illness compared to usual care. In addition, professionals with healthier lifestyles are more likely to discuss and refer to lifestyle interventions. Professionals face barriers in implementing lifestyle, highlighting the need for organisations to prioritise staff education about lifestyle interventions and increase the availability of these interventions. Lastly, psychotropic drug users desire more discussions about deprescribing and potentially inappropriate prescribing is common in people with severe mental illness. However, the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions may be limited by unhealthy environments, necessitating policy changes. Physicians must exercise their role as health advocates in society and their consultation room by promoting healthy, sustainable lifestyles to improve health outcomes.