Citation

Brådvik L, Berglund M. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2001; 103(2): 111-116.

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11167313

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess late mortality among psychiatric in-patients with severe depression/melancholia. METHOD: 1,206 in-patients rated at discharge on a multidimensional diagnostic schedule had received the diagnosis severe depression/ melancholia between 1956 and 1969. A first follow-up was made in 1984. The present follow-up constitutes 675 survivors 15-42 years after the first admission. They were followed-up by means of the general population register and local parish registers to January 1st 1998. RESULTS: At this second follow-up another 279 patients were deceased, standardized mortality ratio 1.3, indicating a continuous increased mortality late in the course of depression. Eleven suicides (4%) were included, eight men and three women, which was less than the 22% found in the first investigation. Male patients showed a higher suicide rate than female patients late in the course. CONCLUSION: The general mortality and suicide rate remain increased late in the course.

Language: en