Professor Jackie Curtis, Executive Director of the Mindgardens Neuroscience Network and UNSW Sydney, has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to lead a groundbreaking research program aimed at developing personalized physical healthcare for individuals living with severe mental illness.
The five-year trial will establish an Integrated Peer-supported Physical Health Service (IPPHS) designed to achieve sustained improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, including diabetes, which often result from side effects of mental health medications. These physical health issues contribute to the lower life expectancy, which can be up to 15 years less, among individuals with complex mental health disorders such as schizophrenia.
The trial will involve urban, regional, and rural mental health clinics in southeastern Sydney and Tasmania. Peer workers, individuals with their own mental health experiences, will assist participants in navigating the healthcare system and accessing suitable health services. General practitioners and nurse practitioners will collaborate with specialist mental health clinics to screen patients for health problems and prescribe medications as needed. Additionally, patients will collaborate with clinicians and researchers to develop a mobile app for monitoring their physical and mental health.
The primary aim of the trial is to eliminate barriers to physical healthcare for individuals with severe mental illness, such as the need for separate appointments and the cost of GP co-payments. The project’s inclusion of individuals with lived experience in the design, implementation, and analysis of the study ensures that it remains grounded in the real concerns of those it aims to serve.
In Australia, four out of five people living with mental illness have co-existing physical illnesses, and individuals with mental illness are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and osteoporosis than the general population.
The trial’s Chief Investigators include Professor Jackie Curtis, Professor David Castle, Associate Professor Simon Rosenbaum, Professor Philip Ward, Associate Professor Grant Sara, Associate Professor Natalie Taylor, Professor Mark Harris, Dr. Scott Teasdale, Dr. Peri O’Shea, and Professor Kim Delbaere.
This initiative is part of the Mindgardens Neuroscience Network, a collaboration between UNSW Sydney, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), the Black Dog Institute, and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, offering clinical services, research programs, training, and educational initiatives to address mental health, neurological, alcohol, and drug disorders.
