Cancer mortality in Common Mental Disorders: A 10-year retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Individuals with Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) may have a higher cancer mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine cancer-related mortality among patients with CMDs and verify which cancer types are predominantly involved. METHODS: We used the Regional Mental Health Registry of the Emilia-Romagna region, in Northern Italy to identify patients aged ≥ 18 years who received an ICD 9-CM diagnosis of CMDs (i.e., depressive and neurotic disorders) over a 10 year period (2008-2017). Information on cause of death was retrieved from the Regional Cause of Death Registry. Comparisons were made with data from the regional population without CMDs. RESULTS: Among 101,487 patients suffering from CMDs (55.7% depression; 44.3% neurotic disorders), 3,087 (37.8%) died from neoplasms. The total standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 1.82 (95% CI 1.78-1.86) while the SMR for all neoplasms was 2.08 (95% CI 2.01-2.16). Individuals of both genders, with both depressive and neurotic disorders had a higher risk of death from almost all cancers compared with the regional population. CONCLUSION: Patients with CMDs have considerably higher cancer mortality risk than the general population. Higher mortality was observed for a broad range of cancers associated with different aetiologies. It is imperative to promote cancer awareness, prevention and treatment for people with CMDs.

Mortality in mental health patients of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy: A registry-based study.

Evidence from previous research demonstrated a gap in mortality between patients with mental disorders and the general population. However, a more exhaustive assessment is required to address this public health issue. The aim of this study was to provide comprehensive analysis of mortality examining all causes of death and all psychiatric diagnoses. We conducted a 10-year retrospective cohort study, including all in and out patients registered in the Mental Health Registry of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated. The cohort consisted of 137,351 patients 11,236 of whom died during the study period and the overall SMR was 1.99. 85.9 % of excess mortality was attributable to a broad range of natural causes. Diseases of circulatory and respiratory systems as well as neoplasms were the principal contributors to the mortality gap. All psychiatric conditions led to a higher risk of death. The greatest excess was due to neoplasms in depressed and neurotic patients and to cardiovascular diseases in patients with schizophrenia and personality disorders. Our results highlight the need for close collaboration between mental and primary health care services with the aim of reducing excess mortality as a result of medical diseases among all patients suffering from psychiatric condition.