Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2016 Sep;78(7):772-5.
doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000373.

Psychiatric Disorders, Morbidity, and Mortality: Tracing Mechanistic Pathways to Accelerated Aging

Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser  1 , Stephanie J Wilson
Affiliations
Editorial

Psychiatric Disorders, Morbidity, and Mortality: Tracing Mechanistic Pathways to Accelerated Aging

Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser et al. Psychosom Med. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

A meta-analysis published in this issue of Psychosomatic Medicine provides convincing evidence that certain psychiatric populations have shorter telomeres than nonpsychiatric controls, in accord with the strong evidence linking psychiatric disorders with premature mortality. After addressing the clinical significance of shorter telomeres, this editorial describes mechanistic pathways that lead to telomere shortening. Additionally, two other novel methods for measuring biological markers of accelerated aging are briefly discussed: DNA methylation and cellular senescence based on p16. These innovative approaches could be used to confirm and extend our understanding of psychiatric patients' increased health and mortality risks.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

References

    1. Chesney E, Goodwin GM, Fazel S. Risks of all-cause and suicide mortality in mental disorders: a meta-review. World Psychiatry. 2014;13:153–160. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Darrow SM, Verhoeven JE, Révész D, Lindqvist D, Penninx BWJH, Delucchi KL, Wolkowitz OM, Matthews CA. The association between psychiatric disorders in telomere length: A meta-analysis involving 14,827 persons. Psychosom Med. in press. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blackburn EH, Epel ES, Lin J. Human telomere biology: A contributory and interactive factor in aging, disease risks, and protection. Science. 2015;350:1193–1198. - PubMed
    1. Cawthon RM, Smith KR, O'Brien E, Sivatchenko A, Kerber RA. Association between telomere length in blood and mortality in people aged 60 years or older. Lancet. 2003;361:393–395. - PubMed
    1. Rode L, Nordestgaard BG, Bojesen SE. Peripheral Blood Leukocyte Telomere Length and Mortality Among 64 637 Individuals From the General Population. Jnci-Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2015:107. - PubMed