Diagnostic inequalities relating to physical healthcare among people with mental health conditions: a systematic review (14 January 2025)

Summary

People with mental health conditions can face significant inequalities in their physical health, including a shorter life expectancy. This inequality impacts on the individual, their families, friends, communities and society in significant ways. They are also more likely to experience conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes than those without mental health conditions.

The reasons for this include social and financial challenges, the effects of psychiatric medications on physical health, and poorer care for physical health as a whole. Many studies show that people with mental health conditions are also more likely to experience problems during the diagnostic process, including misdiagnosis or late diagnosis of physical health problems.

This study reviewed the evidence, which covers a range of mental and physical health conditions. It found consistent evidence that people with mental health conditions – from serious mental illnesses to more moderate or mild conditions – were at greater risk of exposure to diagnostic problems than people without mental health conditions, including delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and non-diagnosis. Some of the studies included pointed towards issues within the healthcare system itself as underlying these inequalities.