The somatic care situation of people with mental illness.

The observed unmet medical needs in this study might reflect the lack of treatment motivation in people with mental illness, but could also represent their obstacles to access care as well as a suboptimal communication between the treating psychiatrist and the referring general practitioner. Increasing awareness of somatic diseases in psychiatric patients and easier access to somatic care have to be implemented in psychiatric clinical routine. The risk of stigmatization in somatic institutions and the lack of self-care management in people with mental illness are complicating factors.