Frailty and severe mental illness: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Emerging evidence suggests that people with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of frailty. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the prevalence and correlates of frailty, as well as the efficacy of frailty interventions, in this population.

We searched databases from inception to 21 September 2021 for studies that assessed or intervened for frailty in relation to an SMI diagnosis. A narrative synthesis explored the characteristics and adverse health outcomes associated with frailty and the efficacy of interventions. The prevalence of frailty was investigated, and its relationship with age was analysed by a meta-regression.

Twenty-five studies involving 2499 patients, primarily older adults, were included in the narrative synthesis. Frailty was associated with higher rates of physical comorbidity, cognitive deficits, falls and mortality among those with SMI. The efficacy of a yoga intervention was investigated in one study, without sustained reductions in frailty. The prevalence of frailty varied between 10.2 and 89.7% and was high in comparison to the general population.

The prevalence of frailty was high in those with SMI and ranged widely due to heterogeneity of study populations. Assessing frailty enables the identification of patients who could benefit from interventions and assists in treatment-related decision making. Further research is required to develop appropriate frailty interventions for this population.