[Collaborative somatic care for patients with severe mental illness].

Patients with severe mental illness have an accumulation of risk factors for physical diseases like cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and COPD. These patients receive suboptimal care in the Netherlands. A major barrier to optimal care is the lack of collaboration between mental health professionals and general practitioners.

[Switching to e-cigarettes affects drug concentration].

Background: Cytochrome P450 subtype 1A2 (CYP1A2) is responsible for the metabolism of several drugs, including the antipsychotic agent clozapine. Smoking cigarettes induces CYP1A2. Due to this induction, a higher dosage of the drug is required by patients who smoke tobacco.

Practical recommendations for improvement of the physical health care of patients with severe mental illness.

Objective: Health care for the physical health of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) needs to be improved. Therefore, we aimed to develop policy recommendations to improve this physical health care in the Netherlands based on consensus (general agreement) between the major stakeholders.

Method: A modified Delphi was used to explore barriers and subsequently establish policy recommendations with all key stakeholders.

Evaluation of health promotion programmes in severe mental illness: theory and practice.

Health promotion programmes for patients with severe mental illness (HPP) are not uniformly evaluated. We discuss the evaluation of HPP in theory and practice, as a prerequisite for future uniform evaluation. We explored the expected outcome and mechanism of HPP in the current literature.

[Hidden diseases: tuberculosis in a woman with a severe mental illness].

Patients with severe mental illness often have only limited access to health care for physical symptoms. They have difficulty in organising their thoughts and articulating their requests for medical help; in addition, they often have a reduced perception of stimuli like physical pain. There may also be a language barrier and sometimes a cultural barrier.