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The Pattern of Mortality in Severe Neuroses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Andrew Sims
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH
Patricia Prior
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, Medical School, University of Birmingham

Summary

Is there an increased relative risk of death in severe neurosis? 1,482 patients from three psychiatric units in different hospitals in Birmingham were followed-up after a mean of 10.9 years. 91 per cent of the sample were traced and 139 patients were found to have died; a highly significant increased mortality for both sexes for all causes of death. Although suicide and accidents contributed disproportionately, particularly in early follow-up, there was still a markedly increased mortality from the combined categories of nervous respiratory and cardiovascular disease, more evenly distributed in time.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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