For one, mental illnesses change people’s behaviors which can make them less likely to protect themselves from an infection, with measures like social distancing or wearing masks.

Second, people with mental illness tend to have poorer overall health and many chronic health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, kidney disease.

“It is this very high prevalence of comorbid medical conditions that’s likely to actually be putting them at greater risk for negative outcomes [from COVID-19],” says Volkow.

It’s well known that people with mental illness on average live shorter lives and die of health conditions other than their psychiatric diagnosis.

“They suffer prematurely from chronic illnesses, medical neglect,” says Dr. Ashwin Vasan is the president and CEO of Fountain House, a mental health non-profit.