Death Among Psychiatric Hospital In-Patients: a Preliminary Three-Year Study

The mortality rate & causes of death among the inpatient population at Yangon Psychiatric Hospital, Myanmar were examined for the period 1996-1998. The suicide rate was around 5 percent. Hanging was the only method of suicide in the three years. Males predominated & the mean age of victims was 35 years. Only 3 common diagnoses were noted – mood disorder, schizophrenia, & schizoaffective disorder. 12.22$ had died by suicide within 24 hours after admission & more than half within one month. Overall, 93.33% of suicide victims died within 6 months after admission. (13 refs.)