Healthy lifestyle and risk of incidence, mortality and life expectancy of mental disorders

People who adopt a healthy lifestyle experience many health benefits. However, it remains unclear whether and to what extent a healthy lifestyle influences the onset of mental disorders, as well as the effects and differences in mortality and life expectancy between people with and without mental disorders.
Overall, 277,875 participants were included in the analysis of mental disorder incidence. For the analysis of mortality and life expectancy, 277,875 participants without mental disorders and 50, 250 with mental disorders at baseline were included. Researchers developed a comprehensive lifestyle score by combining seven healthy behaviours: a nutritious diet, regular physical activity, no smoking, light or moderate alcohol consumption, adequate sleep duration, active social connections, and reduced sedentary behaviour. The associations between lifestyle and the incidence of mental disorders, mortality, and life expectancy in people with and without mental disorders were examined.
The results showed that participants with a healthy lifestyle pattern had a 69 % (HR, 0. 31; 95 % CI, 0. 30-0. 32) lower risk of developing mental disorders, with specific reductions of 55%, 47%, and 61% for depression (HR, 0. 45; 95 % CI, 0. 41-0. 49), anxiety (HR, 0. 53; 95 % CI, 0. 49-0. 58), and bipolar disorder (HR, 0. 39; 95 % CI, 0. 27-0. 58), respectively. The healthy lifestyle pattern was associated with a 54% and 60% lower risk of death in participants without mental disorders (HR, 0. 46; 95 % CI, 0. 43-0. 49) and with mental disorders (HR, 0. 40; 95 % CI, 0. 36-0. 65), respectively. Additionally, individuals with a healthy lifestyle had longer life expectancy than those with a poor lifestyle (intermediate: 9. 0 years, healthy: 14. 4 years) at age 40 years among participants with mental disorders, which was higher than in those without mental disorders (intermediate: 8. 0 years, healthy: 11. 6 years). Further stratification by chronic disease status and sensitivity analyses for men and women yielded similar, robust results.
A healthy lifestyle pattern is strongly associated with a lower risk of developing mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, as well as reduced mortality and increased life expectancy. These findings could assist health professionals and policymakers in planning future healthcare services and addressing needs.
Source: Tian, S., Wang, Q., Wu, T., et al., (2025) Healthy lifestyle and risk of incidence, mortality and life expectancy of mental disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 388:119592.