Keywords

Psychoeducation, Health promotion, Mental illness, Metabolic syndrome, Psychotropic medications, Weight, Schizophrenia

Abstract

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) experience a notably decreased life span due, in part to a metabolic syndrome linked to psychotropic medications commonly prescribed to SMI patients. Eli Lilly’s Solutions for Wellness (SFW) program was designed to address some of the risk factors (e.g., weight, diet, lifestyle) that exacerbate the metabolic syndrome in SMI outpatients. However, there is limited data as to the effectiveness of the SFW program for hospitalized SMI patients. We replicate and compare SFW outcomes from an inpatient SMI population treated at the Utah State Hospital with previous research that tested an abbreviated SFW curriculum of eight lessons in a similar clinical population. Primary outcomes include changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) for 127 SMI patients. Factors that might explain outcome differences included gender, age, diet, medication profile are explored.