title: Mortality among inpatients of a psychiatric hospital: Indian perspective.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to assess mortality and its correlates among psychiatric inpatients of a tertiary care neuropsychiatric hospital. Given the background that such a study has never been undertaken in India, the findings would have a large bearing on policy making from a mental health-care perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of those psychiatric inpatients (n = 333) who died during their stay at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in past 26 years (January 1983 to December 2008) constituted the study population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 26 years, there were a total of 103,252 psychiatric in-patient admissions, out of which 333 people died during their inpatient stay. Majority (n = 135, 44.6%) of the mortality was seen in the age group of 21-40 years. Most of the subjects were males (n = 202, 67%), married (n = 172, 56.8%) and from urban areas (n = 191, 63%). About, 54% of the subjects had short inpatient stay (<5 days, median for the sample). In 118 (39%) of the subjects, there was a history of physical illness. Leading cause of death were cardiovascular system disorders (n = 132, 43.6%), followed by respiratory system disorders (n = 45, 14.9%), nervous system disorders (n = 30, 9.9%) and infections (n = 31, 10.1%). In 21 (7%), cause of death was suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Identifying the factors associated with the death of inpatients is of utmost importance in assessing the care in a neuropsychiatric hospital and in formulating better treatment plan and policy in mental health. The discussion focuses on the analysis of different factors associated with inpatient mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Shireesh Shatwaji
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Shinde
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.lastname: Nagarajaiah
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Janardhanan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Narayanaswamy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Biju
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Viswanath
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Naveen C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Gangadhar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Deemed University), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Suresh Bada
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Math
keywords: Death; mortality; psychiatry; suicide