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FED: Mentally ill face a lonely, isolated life: study

By Danny Rose, Medical Writer
04 Feb 2009 11:23 AM
Subject: FED: Mentally ill face a lonely, isolated life: study FED: Mentally ill face a lonely, isolated life: study

SYDNEY, Feb 4 AAP - Loneliness and isolation are harsh realities for many Australians with mental illness.

Almost half (49 per cent) of people with mental illness who took part in an Australian study responded that they had "no close relationship" in their lives.

More than one in three (35 per cent) responded they'd not had sex for a year, while 13 per cent said they'd had no physical contact whatsoever with another person for 12 months.

The anonymous online survey was conducted by national mental health charity SANE from September to December last year, and 424 people with a diagnosed mental illness took part.

SANE Australia executive director Barbara Hocking said extreme social isolation was known to damage mental health, compounding existing problems for these people.

The most disturbing result, she said, was the half of respondents who had no friends while physical intimacy - which includes hugging or just a physical touch - was also rare for many.

"Not only are many people with mental illness dealing with their symptoms and associated problems such as poverty, they are leading isolated lives and often have no partner or even friends to share their lives," Ms Hocking said.

"This impedes their recovery."

The survey also found half of the respondents did not discuss sexual health matters with their doctor or health worker, 65 per cent said they didn't know enough about sexual health and 46 per cent went without routine check-ups like pap tests and prostate tests.

Ms Hocking said the findings reflected the general poor physical health care provided to people who were "regarded all too often as solely mental health patients".

SANE called on government agencies to invest in recovery-focused rehabilitation programs for the mentally ill, with a focus on social inclusion and relationships.

Health professionals also needed incentives to provide regular breast screening, pap smears, STD testing, prostate checks and routine tests to the mentally ill, Ms Hocking said.

AAP dr/it/mn =0A

FED: Mentally ill face a lonely, isolated life: study