Patients with serious mental disorders have poorer healthcare outcomes at the end of life and are at greater risk of dying from unnatural causes.

To explore place of death and demographic and clinical correlates of unnatural causes of death in patients with serious mental disorders.

Routinely collected patient data were used to explore bivariate and adjusted associations between covariates and natural/unnatural cause of death.

In multivariable analysis (n = 1029), dying at home (odds ratio (OR) = 1.87, 95% CI 1.03–3.40), ‘other’ locations (OR = 16.50, 95% CI 7.57–36.00), younger age (OR = 17.26, 95% CI 8.28–36.00) and a diagnosis other than schizophrenia spectrum disorder (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.04–2.73) were correlates of unnatural cause of death.

Deaths from unnatural causes were high and more likely to occur at home and non-healthcare settings. Unnatural causes of death were higher in younger patients with non-schizophrenia spectrum disorder diagnoses.

F.G. has received support or honoraria for CME, advisory work and lectures from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Roche, and Sunovion, and has a family member with professional links to Lilly and GSK, including shares.