Work

Mental illness and accidental death

Year: 2004

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Few studies have systematically investigated the psychiatric antecedents of accidental death. AIMS: To examine the patterns of psychiatric morbidities contributing to accidental death in three ethnic groups (Han, Ami and Atayal) in Taiwan. METHOD: A case-control psychological autopsy was conducted among 90 accidental deaths (randomly selected from a total of 413) and 180 living controls matched for age, gender, ethnicity and area of residence in Taiwan. RESULTS: The risk of accidental death was significantly associated with alcohol use disorder and with other common mental disorders. When jointly considered, it was greatest when these two types of disorders co-existed, followed by common mental disorders alone. The risk of accidental death increased with the number of comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The prevention of accidental death should be incorporated into preventive psychiatry, not just for alcohol use disorder, but also for all other common mental disorders.

Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1192/bjp.185.5.422

Authors: Susan S. F. Gau, Andrew T. A. Cheng

Institutions: National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University Hospital, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica

Language: English

Topic: Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Science Council