The first U.S. online survey to evaluate general healthcare in mental health settings suggests that both patients with schizophrenia and psychiatrists are aware of the need to optimize overall health and quality of life but rarely discuss the topic with each other, according to Mental Health America, the organization that commissioned the survey.

Mental Health America conducted the survey in response to recent data showing that people with serious mental illnesses - including schizophrenia - die at least 25 years earlier than the general population, largely due to preventable medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and respiratory and infectious diseases. Nationwide, rates of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes are at epidemic levels. Nowhere is this public health dilemma more evident than in people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, who die at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the population from heart disease and diabetes.

"Communicating About Health: A Mental Health America Survey of People with Schizophrenia and Providers" was conducted by a leading independent research company. Surveys were conducted online between September 17 and October 12, 2007 among a sample of 250 adults with schizophrenia (ages 18 and older) who had been diagnosed by a qualified medical professional as a person with schizophrenia and 250 psychiatrists.

The group of consumers was provided by an online research panel that maintains a nationwide sample of respondents and rigorously checks the quality and validity of the sample. Average age of consumer respondents was 38 years, with a majority being female (56 percent), Caucasian (76 percent), employed - paid or unpaid - (52 percent) and from various incomes and geographic regions.

Physician respondents were comprised of practicing psychiatrists who treat people with schizophrenia and are members of a national, verified online research panel. Average years in practice for physician respondents was 12, with a majority being male (69 percent) and seeing 11 or more schizophrenia patients each month (81 percent). Respondents were from various geographic regions and worked in public, private and integrated health settings.

"We should all be alarmed and outraged that the lives of people with schizophrenia are being cut short by 25 years," said David Shern, PhD, president of Mental Health America. "This survey tells us that mental health providers and people with schizophrenia must communicate more about issues like diet, exercise and medication side effects if we're to turn the tide of this public health crisis and extend the lives of the millions of Americans with schizophrenia."

While 40 percent of survey respondents had private health insurance, they still reported significantly higher rates of chronic illnesses than the general population. 44 percent and 23 percent of all respondents reported being obese and having diabetes, respectively, compared with 26 percent and 8 percent of the general population.

While many psychiatrists reported asking or discussing general health issues with their patients, 83 percent cited lack of time during patient visits as the main obstacle to providing overall care; 74 percent felt they were not as well equipped to address the patient's overall health as are primary care physicians.

Among consumers, 82 percent felt that treatment of their overall health - not just their mental illness - was important to their recovery. Yet 48 percent expected their psychiatrist to focus exclusively on their mental health rather than overall and mental health.

The survey also pointed to significant concerns about medication side effects. Experts suggest that some commonly-used mental health medications, namely second generation atypical anti-psychotics, which are associated with weight gain and other side effects, may be putting people with schizophrenia at much greater risk for obesity and diabetes.

The survey found that 69 percent of people with schizophrenia reported that they had discontinued use of medication due to side effects that negatively affected their quality of life. Almost 40 percent of consumers reported that the longest they had continuously remained on one medication was less than a year.

When choosing from a list of side effects considered when prescribing antipsychotic medication, diabetes was most often cited by prescribers, with 94 percent of psychiatrists considering it "extremely" or "quite" important.

"When people with schizophrenia stop their medications, their mental health is jeopardized and they are not able to take the best care of themselves," said Joseph Parks, MD, president of the Medical Director's Council of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. "As psychiatrists, every one of us must redouble our efforts to protect the health and promote the wellbeing of our patients with schizophrenia. I think it's outrageous that over a quarter of psychiatrists don't see this as their responsibility to ensure patients receive appropriate care for all health problems."