Disabilities and Circumstances of Schizophrenic Patients – a Follow-Up Study. V. Cause of Death

532 patients with schizophrenia in Harrow, England were followed up to examine causes of mortality. There were 24 unnatural deaths, including 7 suicides (2 females & 5 males). Suicide risk was most marked in younger age groups. The standardized mortality rates for suicide were 12.77 for women & 19.5 for men. It is argued that these may be low as calculations only included clear verdicts of suicide & not cases where an open verdict was returned but suicide was the likely cause of death.