Management of hypertension in mentally ill patients: a review of literature

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is more prevalent in people with mental illness than in the general population, the reason being because of disease, lifestyle and treatment factors. This practice development aimed at providing evidence based information on the management of hypertension in mentally ill patients. Methods: This was a literature review. MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were sought. Articles published between the years 2000 to 2014 were considered relevant. Findings: The results showed an increased prevalence of hypertension in patients with mental illness. This prevalence has clinical implications for care that is routine screening, prevention and proper management of hypertension. Conclusion and Recommendations: Healthcare workers in psychiatric units and hypertension clinic need to be doing routine monitoring of the physical health of people with mental illness, have good communication and collaboration in order to integrate care that is needed by the mentally ill patients.