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Media Factsheet Key mental health and metabolic syndrome statistics
Over the past few years the connection between mental illness and metabolic syndrome has been emerging as
an important public health issue. Whilst mental illness is not in itself a primary cause of metabolic syndrome,
people with mental illness are at a particular risk of developing some of the components of the syndrome1. The
prevalence of metabolic syndrome amongst this particular population is yet to be firmly established and
research is ongoing as to the extent and reasons why the syndrome occurs more frequently in this group of
people. Highlighted below are some key facts and statistics regarding metabolic syndrome, mental illness and
the two in combination.
Metabolic syndrome in the general population

It is generally accepted that more than 20% of adults in much of the developed world have metabolic
syndrome2,3


The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome has been identified in the following countries
-- US:
17.1%4
-- Japan:
11.0%5
-- France:
12.4%6
-- Germany:
19.8%7
-- Italy:
14.4%8
-- Spain:
19.5%9
-- UK:
19.6%7
In a Finnish study of 425 generally healthy women 50 developed metabolic syndrome during a period of
7.5 years10
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and mental illnesses

In two US studies presented in 2003, a 60% prevalence of metabolic syndrome was estimated among
63 people with schizophrenia11 and a 75% prevalence rate was estimated among 16 mood disorder
patients of Hispanic origin12

Another study found a 51% prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome amongst 98 people with
schizophrenia in the US and a 22% prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome amongst 27 people with
schizophrenia in Taiwan13
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-- In the same study 70% of the US group and 44% of the Taiwanese group
exhibited insulin resistance, one of the key risk factors for metabolic syndrome13

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Finland has been identified as ranging from 8% to 17%14 whilst in
a group of 35 Finnish people with schizophrenia, metabolic syndrome prevalence was found to be 37%15
Mental health and metabolic syndrome risk factors

A key risk factor for metabolic syndrome is weight gain or obesity and in a cross-sectional study of 644
people with bipolar disorder, 50% were overweight and 25% were obese16

In a separate smaller study of 50 people with bipolar disorder, one-third were overweight and one-third
were obese, again increasing their susceptibility to metabolic syndrome17

Obesity affects 42% of patients with schizophrenia compared to 27% of the general population18

In bipolar disorder, 58% to 68% of patients are overweight; 21% to 35% obese and 5% extremely
obese16,17,19

Until recently, metabolic syndrome remained largely unknown amongst clinicians. A survey of 34 UK
primary care practitionrs published in 2002 by the British Medical Journal revealed that 62% were
unaware of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease in metabolic syndrome20

In 2003 a US-based survey of 300 randomly selected psychiatrists found that 82% believed people with
schizophrenia are at a greater risk for metabolic abnormalities than the general population and 90%
considered metabolic issues when selecting atypical antipsychotic therapy for some or all of their
patients21
Mental health and life expectancy

In schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and unipolar depression mortality is 1.6 to 2.6 times greater than the
general population22,23

Life expectancy in patients with schizophrenia is 20% shorter than the general population23
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References
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The faculty of the “Advancing the treatment of people with mental illness: a call to action
in the management of metabolic issues” meeting held in Vienna, Austria, on 29-30 September 2004. Advancing the treatment
of people with mental illness: a call to action in the management of metabolic issues. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
2005;66(6):790-8
Kereiakes DJ, Willerson JT. Metabolic syndrome epidemic. Circulation 2003;108:1552-3
Scheen AJ, Luyckx FH. Le syndrome métabolique: définitions et données épidémiologiques. Revue Médicale de Liège
2003;58:479-84
Ford ES, Giles WH, Dietz WH. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among US adults:
findings from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of the American Medical Association
2002;287(3):356-9
Anuurad E, Shiwaku K, Nogi A, et al. The new BMI criteria for asians by the regional
office for the western pacific region of WHO are suitable for screening of overweight to prevent metabolic syndrome in elder
Japanese workers. Journal of Occupational Health 2003;45(6):335-43
Balkau B, Vernay M, Mhamdi L, et al. The incidence and persistence of the NCEP
(National Cholesterol Education Program) metabolic syndrome. The French D.E.S.I.R. study. Diabetes and Metabolism
2003;29(5)526-32
Sattar N, Gaw A, Scherbakova O, et al. Metabolic Syndrome With and Without CReactive Protein as a Predictor of Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study.
Circulation 2003;108(4):414-9
Bonora E, Kiechl S, Willeit J, et al. Metabolic syndrome: epidemiology and more
extensive phenotypic description. Cross-sectional data from the Bruneck Study. International Journal of Obesity and Related
Metabolic Disorders 2003;27(10):1283-9
Alvarez Leon EE, Ribas Barba L, Serra Majem L. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome
in the population of Canary Islands, Spain [in Spanish]. Medicina Clinica 2003;120(5):172-4
Räikkönen K, Matthrews KA, Kuller LH. The relationship between psychological risk
attributes and the metabolic syndrome in healthy women: antecedent or consequence? Metabolism 2002;51:1573-7
Kato M, Gonzalez-Blanco M, Sotelo J, et al. Metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia: a pilot
study. Presented at the 156th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association; May 17-22 2003; San Francisco,
California, USA
Kato M, Sotelo J, de Guia C, et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Hispanic
patients with mood disorder: a pilot study. Presented at the 156th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association; May
17-22 2003; San Francisco, California, USA
Littrell K, Perry R, Hilligoss N et al. Insulin resistance and syndrome X among schizophrenic patients. Presented at the 156th
annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association; May 17-22 2003; San Francisco, California, USA
Vanhala MJ, Kumpusalo EA, Pitkajarvi TK, et al. Metabolic syndrome in a middle-aged
Finnish population. Journal of Cardiovascular Risk 1997;4:291-5
Heiskanen T, Niskanen L, Lyytikäinen R, et al. Metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
2003;64:575-9
McElroy SL, Frye MA, Suppes T, et al. Correlates of overweight and obesity in 644
patients with bipolar disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2002;63:207-13
Fagiolini A, Frank E, Houck PR, et al. Prevalence of obesity and weight change during
treatment in patients with bipolar 1 disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2002;63:528-33
Druss BG, Bradford DW, Rosenheck RA, et al. Mental disorders and use of
cardiovascular procedures after myocardial infarction. Journal of the American MedicalAssociation 2000;283(4):506-11
Fagiolini A, Kupfer DJ, Houck PR, et al. Obesity as a correlate of outcome in patients with
bipolar I disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 2003;160(1):112-7
Wylie G, Hungin AP, Neely J. Impaired glucose tolerance: qualitative and quantitative
study of general practitioners' knowledge and perceptions. British Medical Journal 2002 18;324(7347):1190
Newcomer JW, Nasrallah HA, Loebel AD. The atypical antipsychotic therapy and
metabolic issues national survey: practice patterns and knowledge of psychiatrists. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
2004;24(Suppl 1):S1-S6
Harris EC, Barraclough B. Excess mortality of mental disorder. British Journal of
Psychiatry. 1998 Jul;173:11-53
Newman SC, Bland RC. Mortality in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia: a record linkage study. Canadian Journal of
Psychiatry 1991;36(4):239-45