Marker check · 3 questions
Mental wellbeing
Mental illness is one of the biggest longevity factors in medicine: across 1.7 million patients, people with mental disorders died at more than twice the rate of the general population (~10 years lost at the median), mostly to heart, metabolic, and lung disease rather than suicide. Untreated recurrent depression costs an estimated 7–11 years; bipolar disorder 9–20 and schizophrenia ~14.5. Treatment moves the number: actively managed depression carried a 24% lower death risk over 8 years, landing near people without depression. On the positive side, a strong sense of life purpose is one of the best-replicated psychological predictors of longevity: purposeful people show ~17–20% lower mortality across prospective cohorts.
The research
- Walker et al., JAMA Psychiatry 2015 — mental disorders and mortality meta
- Chesney et al., World Psychiatry 2014 — depression ≈ −7–11y, bipolar ≈ −9–20y untreated
- Hjorthøj et al., Lancet Psychiatry 2017 — schizophrenia ≈ −14.5y
- Gallo et al., BMJ 2013 — treated depression ≈ −24% mortality (IMPACT)
- Meier et al., Lancet Psychiatry 2016 — anxiety disorders alone, smaller mortality excess
- Tiihonen et al., Lancet 2009 — long-term antipsychotic treatment, lower mortality than none
- Kessing et al., Br J Psychiatry 2015 — lithium-treated bipolar, mortality near population
- Hill & Turiano, Psychol Sci 2014 — purpose in life, HR ≈ 0.83
1. How often do you feel down or depressed?
Not answered2. Have you been diagnosed with a mental health condition?
Not answered3. Do you feel a sense of purpose in your life?
Not answered