NAMI: Ask the Expert: Physical Health Is Mental Health OD043

Course overview

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, reviews the evidence that physical health and mental health are inseparable, with a focus on the elevated cardiometabolic risk and mortality gap experienced by people living with serious mental illness. Drawing on community-based clinical trials, the presentation summarizes what is known to work to reduce cardiovascular risk through feasible lifestyle changes such as dietary modification, increased physical activity, and modest, clinically meaningful weight loss. The course also addresses practical behavior-change strategies and highlights implementation approaches for scaling evidence-based wellness interventions within mental health service settings. The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, equips behavioral health clinicians to integrate evidence-based lifestyle counseling, coordinated-care advocacy, and wellness-support strategies into routine practice to reduce preventable health disparities among clients living with serious mental illness.