Mental disorders forecast chronic physical diseases, premature death: study

CHICAGO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A study by researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) indicates that people who experience psychiatric conditions when they are young are likely to experience excess age-related physical diseases when they are older.

The researchers conducted a nationwide hospital-register study of 2.3 million New Zealanders aged 10 to 60 years at baseline that have been followed across three decades from 1988 to 2018, and collected information about hospital admissions for different mental disorders, such as substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and self-harm behavior. In addition, researchers collected information about hospital admissions for different chronic physical diseases, ranging from coronary heart disease to cancer.