Mental disorders were associated with greater sway during standing balance tests
A review found group differences in a laboratory balance measure, but it cannot show whether mental disorders caused them or whether participants experienced more falls.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across the reviewed studies, people with mental disorders showed greater center-of-pressure sway than healthy controls during standing tests with feet apart. The difference appeared with eyes open and closed. This is evidence of a group-level balance difference, not proof that a mental disorder caused it or that any individual faces a higher risk of falling.
The abstract gives no units for the reported differences and does not explain how individual diagnoses or other participant characteristics affected the results. A balance-test difference alone does not establish a difference in falls.
What researchers found
Center-of-pressure sway area
Participants with mental disorders versus healthy controls, standing with feet apart and eyes open or closed; assessment timeframe was not reported.
A specific balance measurement
Researchers assessed balance using center-of-pressure measurements under different standing conditions. The reported group differences concerned the area of sway when feet were apart, both with eyes open and with eyes closed.
What the comparison cannot establish
The review compared groups defined by mental health status rather than testing a balance treatment. Its findings cannot establish whether changing psychiatric care would change balance, or whether the differences apply equally across specific mental disorders.
The original publication
Postural control in individuals with mental disorders: A systematic review and META-analysis.
Rossato CE, Waclawovsky AJ, Dos Santos de Souza G et al.
Clin Biomech (Bristol) · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41453311
- Record checked
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