NATURAL-HISTORY OF MALE PSYCHOLOGIC HEALTH - EFFECTS OF MENTAL-HEALTH ON PHYSICAL HEALTH

Four decades ago 204 men were selected as adolescents for an interdisciplinary study of health; since then they have been followed biennially. Of the 185 men who remained in the study and in good health until 1964 (age, 42±1 years), 100 men remained in excellent physical health over the next 11 years, 54 acquired minor problems, and 31 acquired serious chronic illness or died. Of 59 men with the best mental health, assessed from the age of 21 to 46 years, only two became chronically ill or died by the age of 53. Of the 48 men with the worst mental health from the age of 21 to 46, 18 became chronically ill or died. The relation between previous mental health and subsequent physical health remained statistically significant when the effects on health of alcohol, tobacco use, obesity, and longevity of ancestors were excluded by multiple regression analysis. The data suggest that good mental health retards midlife deterioration in physical health. (N Engl J Med 301:1249–1254, 1979) STUDIES of the very old have suggested that good mental health may prolong good physical health.1 2 3 Recent review articles,4,5 have presented evidence of increased mortality (excluding accidents and suicide) among persons with poor mental health. The implication of this work is that being chronically anxious, depressed, or emotionally distressed can, perhaps in the fashion outlined by Cassel,6 produce profound effects on host susceptibility to a variety of diseases. However, if we wish to ascertain whether mental health truly affects physical health and aging, many issues must be addressed. First of all, mental health must be objectively and reliably measured. Ideally,. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.