Why People with Mental Illness Die Younger—and What We Can Do About It

Why People with Mental Illness Die Younger—and What We Can Do About It

People living with serious mental health conditions face a dramatically higher risk of premature death, not only from psychiatric symptoms, but from the cardiometabolic complications that often accompany their treatment.

Despite decades of awareness, this critical issue remains under recognized and under treated. In this episode of the Metabolic Mind podcast, Dr. Bret Scher speaks with two leading experts who are changing that:

– Dr. Margaret Hahn, Clinician Scientist in the Schizophrenia Division at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
– Dr. Sharmili Edwin Tharanajah, Physician and Research Associate at the University Hospital Frankfurt’s Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy.

Together, they unpack groundbreaking research on the metabolic consequences of psychiatric care, including antipsychotic-induced glucose dysregulation, obesity, and insulin resistance and explore how clinicians can better prevent, detect, and manage these risks.

💡Their conversation covers:

– Why people with severe mental illness lose up to 20 years of life due to cardiometabolic disease
– How antipsychotic and antidepressant medications affect glucose metabolism, even without weight gain
– Practical strategies for psychiatrists to monitor and manage metabolic side effects
– The growing role of metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and ketogenic therapy in psychiatric care

This conversation is essential for clinicians, researchers, and anyone affected by mental illness who wants to better understand how metabolism and mental health are deeply interconnected, and what can be done to protect both.

👉Stay up to date with the latest news, insights, and research on metabolic psychiatry by subscribing to Metabolic Mind: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicmind

#MetabolicMind #KetogenicTherapy #MentalHealthCare

*Expert Featured:*

Dr. Margaret Hahn
– CAMH: https://camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/margarethahn
– University of Toronto: https://psychiatry.utoronto.ca/faculty/margaret-hahn

Dr. Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah
– Goethe-Universität — Medizin: https://www.unimedizin-ffm.de/einrichtungen/kliniken/zentrum-fuer-psychische-gesundheit/psychiatrie-psychosomatik-und-psychotherapie/team/assistenzaerztinnenassistenzaerzte/dr-med-sharmili-edwin-thanarajah

*Resources Mentioned:*
*Antipsychotic Drugs and Dysregulated Glucose Homeostasis Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis*
– https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2837755

*An Overview of Links Between Obesity and Mental Health:*
– https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13679-015-0164-9

*INTEGRATE: International guidelines for algorithmic treatment of schizophrenia*
– https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(25)00031-8/abstract

*Clinical management of major depressive disorder with comorbid obesity*
– https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(25)00193-2/fulltext

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Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

*Timestamps:*
0:00 – Introduction to Dr. Margaret Hahn and Dr. Sharmili Tharanajah and their work on the metabolic consequences of psychiatric care.
4:55 – How has the research into metabolism in psychiatric care changed and grown recently? How can this impact mental health care?
14:43 – Background and results of Dr. Tharanajah’s study on depression and obesity. What does she recommend for treatments based on the results?
24:30 – How to make exercise a successful treatment for depression.
26:41 – Should ketogenic therapy be recommended to patients as an intervention in mental health treatment?
30:19 – Ketogenic diets vs GLP-1s for mental health treatment.
32:27 – Can a psychiatrist manage to take the lead on these wide-ranging treatments affecting metabolic and mental health?
35:40 – Where can people hear more from Dr. Hahn and Dr. Tharanajah and their institutions?