| Popis: |
MODERN science has not only extended average life but also has markedly affected the pattern of mortality in the United States. The effect of demographic factors associated with mental patients on an overall mortality rate and the trends and characteristics of mental hospital mortality have become subjects of interest and curiosity among professional investigators in the mental health field, including demographers (1-5). The present study compares differential mortality rates among resident patients in Michigan State mental hospitals with those in the general population of Michigan during a 5-year period beginning in 1950. The source for the data on mortality of mental patients is the statistics section of the Michigan Department of Mental Health. Figures for the general population of Michigan for 1950 are from the United States census. To compute death rates, the number of resident patients and the number of people in communities as of June 30 were used as denominators. Analyses and discussions of the data a-re presented in the following order. First, age-sex composition of the population in order to provide the basic information that would facilitate intelligent discussion of the differential mortality rates observed in two different environments. Second, trends and characteristics of the mortality rates by all causes of death. Third, trends and characteristics of the mortality rates by selected causes of death. Fourth, diagnosis-specific death rates among patients with different mental disorders. Fifth, psychiatric hospital mortality from the point of view of physical condition and age of patients on admission to the hospital. |
