Adults with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier from diseases such as cancer

Adults with severe mental illness are nearly five times more likely than their peers to die from serious physical diseases before the age of 75, according to research.

The analysis of NHS data by the Rethink Mental Illness charity reveals that people with severe mental health problems die 15-20 years earlier than the wider adult population, largely due to preventable physical conditions.

Rethink’s calculations show that adults under 75 with serious mental ill health – defined as those referred to specialist secondary mental health services – are 6.3 times as likely to die from liver disease, 6 times more likely from respiratory illness, 3.8 times more likely from cardiovascular disease and 2.3 times as likely from cancer. They are also 14.6 times as likely to die due to suicide, compared with those who were not referred. Overall, they are 4.8 times more likely to die before the age of 75 than the general population.

For some conditions, these health inequalities are the starkest to date. For working-age adults living with a mental illness, the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer are at their highest levels since records began, each with more than 24,000 deaths in the 2022-2024 reporting period, the charity calculated.

Cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease and respiratory disease accounted for more than half (56.5%) of deaths for 18 to 74 year olds with severe mental health problems in England during this period.

The report identifies a number of factors driving this excess mortality, including poverty, poor housing, higher rates of smoking, weight gain from medication, physical inactivity, and fragmented care. But the authors conclude that “diagnostic overshadowing” – where physical symptoms are wrongly attributed to mental illness – means potential illnesses are not always properly investigated and treated.

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Source: The Guardian, 20 September 2026