Low survival rates for cancer patients with serious mental illness

According to a latest study conducted at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and published in BMJ Open finds out that the people having serious mental illness also have lower cancer survival rates when compared to the general people. The study further proves that the issues arise specifically during the care not the late diagnosis or screening. This is due to the health inequalities that are faced by people suffering from mental illness. Researchers further found that there is no big difference about how the advanced cancer but it is the mental illness that affects more while their treatment. The senior author, Professor Robert Stewart, explains, “Our next step is to understand the barriers to care for people with mental health problems. There are many factors to consider, including how the symptoms of mental illness and medication may affect cancer treatment, as well as the considerable social disadvantage and stigma faced by people with severe mental illness.”