Objective: Individuals with diabetes and individuals with serious mental illness are more likely than the general population to die prematurely. The study examined the impact of diabetes on mortality among 197 individuals with co-occurring psychotic and substance use disorders who participated in a randomized controlled study of integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Methods: The authors examined Medicaid claims for evidence of diabetes and applied survival analyses to examine whether time from study entry until death was different for individuals with and without evidence of diabetes.
Results: Of individuals with co-occurring psychotic and substance use disorders, 21% had evidence of diabetes. In a 12-year period, 41% of those with evidence of diabetes died compared with 10% of those without evidence of diabetes.
Conclusions: Interventions targeted for diabetes prevention and diabetes management are critical for persons with serious mental illness, particularly among those who also abuse substances.