Improving your mental health might start with what’s on your plate and how much you move, rest and even breathe. That’s the takeaway from a sweeping new Lancet Psychiatry Commission report calling for lifestyle changes to be woven into mental health care worldwide.
The report, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, warns that people living with mental illness face a staggering 13- to 15-year shorter life expectancy than the general population, often due to preventable conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Changing what we eat, how we move and how we sleep could help close that gap.
“Our lifestyles can change the trajectory of our mental and physical health,” said lead author Dr. Scott Teasdale, a dietitian and Senior Research Fellow at UNSW Sydney. “Many people living with mental health challenges face barriers to being physically active, eating a balanced and nutrient-rich diet, getting quality sleep and quitting smoking. These, in turn, impact their mental health further.”
The Commission reviewed 89 lifestyle intervention programs and identified eight recommendations and 19 priorities to help mental health services adopt a more holistic approach. That includes bringing nutrition and exercise specialists into treatment teams, providing culturally sensitive care and addressing the social and economic barriers that make lifestyle changes harder to sustain.
“This is not just about individual behavior change,” Dr. Teasdale said. “It’s about transforming systems to support health and wellbeing.”
Some countries are already moving in that direction. In Australia, for example, lifestyle changes have been part of clinical guidelines for mood disorders since 2020. But experts say progress is slow, limited by tight budgets and overburdened staff.
According to Professor Simon Rosenbaum, senior author of the report, the principles apply whether care is being delivered in a hospital in Sydney or a refugee camp in Bangladesh. The goal is to ensure everyone has access to practical, sustainable ways to improve their daily habits and in turn, their mental health.
As the authors note, investing in these interventions now could pay off later by reducing the long-term health and societal costs of untreated or poorly managed mental illness.
“Improving these lifestyle factors is crucial for the mental wellbeing of every person, and in the prevention and management of mental illness,” Dr. Teasdale said.
The Commission was supported by UNSW Sydney, the Mindgardens Neuroscience Network and contributions from mental health experts and organizations worldwide.