The physical health of mentally ill patients is a “massive problem and we are doing very badly at it,” psychiatrist Dr Matthew Warden told doctors at a recent Healthed evening seminar in Sydney.

In particular, the prevalence of high cardiovascular risk among patients with a history of psychosis, means this population was a “ticking time bomb”, said Dr Warden, who is the Director of Acute Inpatient Services for Mental Health at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Even without antipsychotic medication, a disproportionate number of people with a history of psychosis are overweight or obese, do very little if any physical exercise and smoke.