In 2006,  two pivotal papers summarized the results of a federally funded study of mortality
	(death rates) among public mental health patients.   Sponsored by the Center for Mental
	Health Services and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the
	investigation solicited data from sixteen states.  Eight states returned information on the death
	rates for patients with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
	This slide depicts annual age-adjusted death rates for SMI vs. the non-mentally ill.
	Specifics of the study:
	1)data were collected for public mental health patients receiving services between 1997 and 2000
	2)SMI (serious mental illness) included major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD
	3)in all 8 states which participated (AZ, MO, OK, RI, TX, UT, VA, and VT), the seriously mentally ill
	had higher rates of death than the general population
	4) when matched by age to non-mentally ill individuals, patients with SMI died at an earlier age --
	on average, the SMI patients died 10 to 30 years earlier than expected
	mean age at time of death: 49-60
	5) most mental health patients died of natural causes, such as heart disease and respiratory conditions
	Key limitations of the study:
	>> investigators did not consider the prevalence of dementia or dementia-related deaths
	>> investigators did not consider the role of medication in the deaths of those diagnosed with SMI