I grasped the paper in my shaky hands. I had written a list of concerns to discuss with my doctor. I felt anxious.
In the past, I had encountered difficulties advocating for myself in medical settings as a person living with a mental health diagnosis. Things like a quick comment of "What do you take that medicine for?" when an urgent care provider entered the room to review my case, noticing the name of an antidepressant on my chat. Or references to anxiety before I've been able to share all relevant details when I've sought help for a medical complaint.
While this provider had always been kind, the risk of dismissal felt too high. When he entered the room, I handed over my paper. The appointment went much better than expected.
My concerns were not unfounded. People living with mental health conditions have often struggled to receive quality care in health settings. Research has consistently shown that people living with mental health conditions die earlier on average than those without, with cardiovascular disease being among the top reasons for death (De Mooij et al., 2019).
In the case of serious mental illness, research has suggested a life expectancy of 20 years less than those without mental health conditions (Laurson et al., 2014). When it came to the COVID-19 crisis, one study found that while those with schizophrenia who visited an ER were less likely to be admitted to the ICU, they were much more susceptible to deaths related to COVID-19 (Fond et al., 2021)
A systemic........