Psychiatric and medical diagnoses as risk factors for mortality in psychiatric patients: a case-control study.
On the basis of a case-control study, the authors conclude that former psychiatric inpatients are more likely than control subjects to die of both natural and unnatural causes within 2 years of discharge. Patients who committed suicide were more likely to have had a diagnosis of affective disorder (unipolar depression) or alcoholism. Those who died of natural causes were more likely to have been admitted with medical diagnoses; no specific psychiatric diagnoses were associated with these deaths. It is doubtful that medical illnesses caused psychiatric syndromes such as depression in these inpatients. Psychiatric and medical illnesses combined may increase a patient's likelihood of seeking psychiatric help and entering the hospital.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D012306:Risk; D013405:Suicide / Q000453:epidemiology