358 AUSTRALASIAN PSYCHIATRY https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856219833776 Australasian Psychiatry 2019, Vol 27(4) 358–361 © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/1039856219833776 journals.sagepub.com/home/apy T he physical health of Indigenous Australians is decidedly poor when compared with the general Australian population. 1,2 The leading causes of death are cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks), cancer and injuries such as car accidents, and self-harm. 1 Diabetes is three times higher and kidney disease seven times higher in Indigenous people than in non-Indigenous people and these disorders are often not diagnosed until after complications have set in. Stressors such as serious illness, the death of friends or family members, unemployment, alcohol and/or drug issues, and mental illness result in high levels of psycho- logical distress. 1 Yet, Indigenous understandings of mental health tend to be very different to non-Indige- nous people. 2 Holistic, whole-of-life viewpoints recog- nise ‘… the importance of connection to land, culture, spirituality, ancestry, family and community, how these connections have been shaped across generations, and the processes by which they affect individual wellbe- ing.’ 2 (p. 4) As such, solutions to physical and mental health issues for Australian Indigenous cultures may need to take into account a holistic viewpoint of health in order to be successful. Co-existing mental and physical health conditions are now well known, 3 and Happell et al. suggest that reviews and descriptive epidemiology are needed. 4 Investigation The physical health of Indigenous people with a mental illness in the Kimberley: is ongoing monitoring effective? Susanne H Stanley Research Fellow, Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, Australia Jonathan DE Laugharne Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, Australia Murray Chapman Clinical Director (Mental Health – KMHDS), Associate Professor, FRANZCP Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, and; Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service, Broome, WA, Australia Sivasankaran Balaratnasingam Visiting Psychiatrist, Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, WA, and; Kimberley Mental Health and Drug Service, Broome, Fremantle, WA, Australia Abstract Objective: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing physical health monitoring for Indig- enous Australians with mental health issues in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Method: This longitudinal, within-groups investigation assessed physical health parameters such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels at baseline and at 18 months for the same cohort. No standardised intervention was in place, but action was taken if results were found to be abnormal. Results: Most measures of physical health remained stable, with mean lipid and fasting glucose levels remaining abnormal over the entire assessment period. Systolic blood pressure showed a significant improvement. Conclusions: More needs to be done to improve the physical health of Indigenous mental health patients – cultur- ally appropriate and secure interventions incorporating holistic models of care are needed. Keywords: mental health, Aboriginal health, Indigenous health, primary healthcare Corresponding author: Susanne H Stanley, Division of Psychiatry, UWA Medical School, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, T Block, L7, 1 Alma Street, Fremantle, WA 6160, Australia. Email: Susanne.Stanley@uwa.edu.au 833776APY Australasian PsychiatryStanley et al. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health