Treating severe mental illnesses and comorbid medical conditions in the primary care setting: an idea whose time has come

The mortality of patients with comorbid serious mental illness (SMI) and diabetes (DM) is high. In this pilot study in patients with SMI and DM, the effect of group work using the strategy of targeted training in illness management with nurse educators and peer educators was examined. The results indicated that improvements in the outcome of both the serious mental illness and the diabetes might be achieved with this approach.