Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T03:27:31.414Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Deaths in the Central Mental Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Marjorie Stokes  and
Art O'Connor
Marjorie Stokes
Affiliation:
Newcastle Hospital, Greystones, Co. Wicklow
Art O'Connor
Affiliation:
Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Dublin 14
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

All deaths occurring in the in-patient population of the Central Mental Hospital during the period 1963 to 1987 inclusive were examined. The death rate during the total period was 11.7 per 1,000 admissions. The suicide rate during the total period was 3.9 per 1,000 admissions – there had been no suicides during the most recent five year period. Although the admission rate has been rising since the mid-1970s, the death rate over the last fifteen years has remained stable.

Many of the deaths prior to 1970 were in elderly long stay patients who died from natural causes. Five deaths in young patients are described separately – in two of these anticholinergic side effects of medication may have contibuted to the deaths. Seven suicides occcuring during the study period are described separately – four of these occurred in the months soon after admission.

Keywords

DeathInpatientsForensic PopulationSuicide
Type
Clinical and Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , September 1989 , pp. 144 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Odegaard, O. The excess mortality of the Insane. Acta Psychiat Scand 1952; 27: 353–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Crammer, J L. Symposium on Suicide in Hospital. Br J Psychiatry 1984; 145: 459–60.Google Scholar
3.Wolfersdorf, M. Hospital Suicides in Psychiatric Institutions in Europe & The United States of America. An overview of recent research. European J Psychiat 1987; 1: 6–28.Google Scholar
4.Hayes, R L and Marques, J K. Patterns of Suicide among Hospitalized Mentally Disordered Offenders. Suicide and Life Threatening Behaviour 1984; 14: 113–25.Google Scholar
5.Office of population Censuses & Survey, 1978–1982. Series DH2 Nos. 3-7, London HMSO.Google Scholar
6.Reiger, W. Suicide attempts in a Federal Prison. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1971; 24: 532–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Snow, H. A Treatise Practical & Theoretic on Cancer & the Cancer Process. London: J & A Churchill, 1893.Google Scholar
8.Driscoll, J S, Melnick, N R, Quinn, F Ret al.Psychotropic drugs as potential anti-tumour agents; a selective screening study. Cancer Treatment Reports 1978; 62: 45.Google Scholar
9.Rice, D. No Lung Cancer in Schizophrenics. Br J Psychiatry 1979; 134: 128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Masterson, E and O'Shea, B. Smoking & Malignancy in Schizophrenia. Br J Psychiat 1984; 145: 429–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Tennent, G, Parker, E, McGrath, P & Street, D. Male Admissions to the English Special Hospitals 1961-1965. A demographic study. Br J Psychiatry 1980; 136: 181–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar