Greater Attention Needed for the Physical Needs of Mental Health Patients At Risk for Weight Gain and Obesity-Related Complications

Physicians and Mental Health Experts Endorse Complete Wellness Approach

October 17, 2003

A recent Web cast panel of mental health experts highlighted the importance of paying greater attention to the physical needs of patients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) to help them reduce the risk of weight-related health problems. The panel endorsed Complete Wellness: The Whole Person Treatment Approach, which provides resources to help those living with SPMI learn about diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle modifications. (Ed. Note: to view the webcast, go here. You must register to view it.

William M. Glazer, M.D., a panelist and associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and president of Glazer Medical Solutions, explained the timeliness of the Web cast. "This event is of particular importance lately, given the recent requested label change from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all atypical antipsychotics to include a warning about additional information on hyperglycemia and diabetes. The label change is a positive step for patient care because it reminds health care professionals about the need to pay attention to the physical health - in addition to the mental health - of their patients."

Panelists agreed that addressing the physical well being of patients with SPMI is as important as treating their mental health. However, often too little attention is paid to the physical needs of this patient population. To help address this unmet need, a new treatment approach was developed that combines education and lifestyle intervention in order to advance patient care and outcomes. The Complete Wellness approach helps patients combat primary mental illness symptoms and provides resources to mental health professionals to help those living with SPMI learn about diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle modifications.

Kenneth Duckworth, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and medical director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), explained the need for the Complete Wellness approach for people with SPMI whose unhealthy lifestyles may put them at high risk for weight gain and obesity-related complications. "Educating patients about avoiding behaviors that put their health at risk and encouraging proper nutrition and exercise can have a positive impact on patients' overall wellness," said Dr. Duckworth.

One resource discussed during the Complete Wellness Web cast is the Partners for Excellence in Psychiatry: Neuroscience Treatment Team Partner (NTTP) Training Program, which is a collaborative effort of University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC) and Eli Lilly and Company. NTTP is a comprehensive educational program that provides tools for recovery and encourages healthy lifestyles for people with mental illness.

"The wonderful thing about this program is that it is very comprehensive and non-medication and non-diagnosis specific. NTTP is divided into three detailed segments: Team Solutions, Solutions for Wellness Group Program and the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale. The program provides both an excellent training tool for treatment teams and a valuable resource for patients and their families," said Betty Vreeland, MSN, APRN, BC, who leads the Partners for Excellence in Psychiatry training program.

Kimberly Hensley, who gained 100 pounds after a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder in 1987, explained that she thought that weight gain was inevitable until she found a program that recognized both her physical and mental needs. "I was initially frustrated by the lack of resources available to help me control my weight," said Hensley, who is now coordinator of consumer affairs at the Clermont Counseling Center in Cincinnati. "But once I found a weight management program that recognized the unique needs of people with mental illness, I lost most of the weight that I had put on."

Ann Borders, president and CEO of Cummins Mental Health Center, Inc., also has found the NTTP program valuable. "In my 27 years of experience in behavioral health, I have never experienced a partnership initiative that has been as practical, as user-friendly and as useful to our organization and the people we serve," said Borders. "The Neuroscience Treatment Team Partner program has transformed complex information and processes into simple and easy-to-apply technology. If implemented in every community in America, the positive impact on our nation's health could be profound."

Though Hensley did not use the NTTP program herself, she currently uses the program to maintain her weight loss and includes it in her work counseling other people with SPMI. "Programs like the NTTP are exactly what the patient community needs. In fact, I've incorporated into the work I do at the Clermont Counseling Center," Hensley said. "The NTTP program is easy to follow, easy to access and free off the Internet on www.completewellnessapproach.com."

In support of the Complete Wellness approach, NAMI is developing a guide for consumers called Hearts & Minds, Mentally Healthy, Physically Strong, which offers common sense, economical suggestions for healthy living. Topics include smoking-cessation, healthy eating habits, increased physical activity, knowledge of sleep apnea and awareness of diabetes symptoms.

In closing comments at the Complete Wellness Web cast, Dr. Glazer said, "If people with mental illness are going to move their lives forward, physical health and mental health treatment must go hand in hand."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional information related to the Web cast and Complete Wellness: The Whole Person Treatment Approach are available to members of the media online at www.completewellnessapproach.com

Source: Eli Lilly press release (manufacturers of Zyprexa)

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