1/ Serious mental illness robs your physical health too

You may have seen the photo I posted of my bloody tooth extraction. What I didn’t explain was why I showed it.

2/ In truth, it was my way of dealing with the loss of my tooth, another physical casualty of my mental illness. Prior to onset of my mental illness I took brilliant care of my teeth.

3/ However repeated episodes of low and high moods, prolonged periods of fatigue, and too many days where despite smiling and working away I question ‘why even continue?’ take their toll and my physical health suffers:

- Poor dental care

4/ - Stress eating, particularly sugar (eg Haribo)
- Weight gain
- IBS & digestive issues
- Back pain
- Skin problems
- Daily fatigue
- long-term impacts of high cortisol levels (the stress hormone)
- potential damage to kidneys from Lithium

5/ After 10 plus years of trying to find the right balance of treatment including multiple courses of psychological therapy, and lifestyle changes, and more recently a 2 year effort to get the right combo of meds, this is best health I’m currently able to achieve.

6/ I don’t smoke, I rarely drink, I get 7 hours sleep a night, I have a good diet.

I am also acutely aware that bipolar disorder carries an increased risk of developing comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, with the consequence of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

7/ The sad fact is people with Serious Mental Illnesses die on average 15 to 20 years earlier than the general population.

This is not a sob story and I’m not looking for sympathy. I make peace with my life on a daily basis, but I feel it important to share this reality.

8/ Severe mental illness (SMI) and physical health inequalities: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/severe-mental-illness-smi-physical-health-inequalities/severe-mental-illness-and-physical-health-inequalities-briefing