Britain’s National Health Service is adopting a “lifestyle medicine program” that was developed in Australia for young people taking antipsychotics, according to The Guardian. “The ‘show how to cook/exercise/eat/shop’ part of the programme was so popular, it was integrated with seeing the psychiatrist and mental health workers, which boosted attendance and engagement,” lead developer of the Australian healthy lifestyle program Katherine Samaras reportedly told The Guardian. The NHS is interested in the program because it was especially effective at limiting weight gain.
Samaras presented her research into the “Keeping the Body in Mind” program at the June conference of the Endocrine Society. Sixteen young participants taking antipsychotics gained 1.2 kilograms during a 12-week early intervention program, compared to 7.2 kilograms of average weight gain among the control group.
Bondi fitness scheme turns the tide on treating mental illness (The Guardian, July 29, 2014)
Early Lifestyle Intervention Abrogates Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain in First Episode Psychosis (Samaras, Katherine et al. Conference Program Abstracts June 2014, Endocrine Society.)
I do so hope the US psychiatrists stop proclaiming regular moderate “exercise is a sign of mania” soon. I’m quite certain religiously exercising and eating healthy foods were a couple I the things that saved me from all the major drug interaction laden cocktails I was forced to take.
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How many people have received this? I am reading 60 people in Australia and 16 in Chicago. Am I reading this wrong?
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Also, I am not seeing anything about Britian’s NHS implementing the BONDI program. The article states they are implementing something called MOTs, which are described as payments to psych service providers for doing physical health screenings (as in, questions asked only screenings, no physical exam,) and possibly providing referrals to various physical health agencies. It is never explained what MOT stands for, apparently it is some sort of financial “trust.” Can anyone explain this further? I have seen articles about US studies online that state diet and exercise programs prevent neuroleptic induced weight gain, but it’s always in INPATIENTS. I suspect that this is because their food is restricted, they are given 1,000 calorie a day diets or something. Anyway if anyone could help me out and explain further I’d appreciate it. Thanks –
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“I suspect that this is because their food is restricted, they are given 1,000 calorie a day diets or something.” wow, compare this with drugs that make you mightily hungry and you get “violent mental illness patients”.
Facepalm…
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Note the article connects weight gain squarely to antipsychotics, there’s a public relations idea that the ill health is to do with lifestyle.
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Well, the next step would be to take them off anti-psychotics. Half of the modern world could do with ‘show how to cook/exercise/eat/shop’.
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