Long-term conditions including cardio-metabolic, severe mental illness such as bipolar disorder and neurological disorders carry the risk of poor wellbeing, social isolation and distress. Associated with these problems are poor care and self-care, resulting in poor health outcomes and shortened life expectancy. The symposium will bring together researchers from the UK , Canada and Pakistan with the aim to highlight some of the challenges which people with serious long term conditions experience and the factors which impact on the wellbeing of these groups: integration of service provision for people with dementia, the role of social support in relation to adherence in adults with type 2 diabetes, and in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, the role of personality factors and stress on quality of life in diabetes, and finally the role of a simple training programme in improving services for people with severe mental illness. The latter is a much-neglected group with a life expectancy frequently estimated at 20 years shorter than that of people without severe mental illness. The symposium will provide a practical overview on the range of factors and interventions relevant to wellbeing and medical outcomes for a wide range of serious long term conditions, in a range of cultural contexts.
