ABSTRACT
Mental illness is often regarded as not having a significant mortality but in fact it has a very substantial mortality.
Suicide is a common event and a major public health issue. Most suicides are preventable. Homicide by mentally ill people is rare but its press coverage can
encourage stigma. A number of measures can be taken to reduce the risk of homicide. Physical morbidity in people with severe mental illness is high. They
require physical health promotion and good access to physical health care.
