Dead and forgotten—postmortem time before discovery as indicator of social isolation and inadequate mental healthcare in schizophrenia
Abstract
The psychiatric care of patients with schizophrenia has changed dramatically following the “deinstitutionalization” of mental health care in many Western countries. In a study of forensic autopsies in the Swedish city of Malmö between 1952 and 2005, we found an increase over time in the number of patients with schizophrenia whose bodies were not discovered until late after death, which correlated closely with the decrease in the number of hospital beds in the psychiatric services used by this group of patients. This indicates a strong increase in the social isolation and unavailability of adequate mental health care for patients with
schizophrenia.
1. Introduction
The psychiatric care of patients with schizophrenia and
other serious psychiatric diseases has changed dramatically
following the process of “deinstitutionalization”
of national mental health care in many Western countries
over the last few decades, which has led to, among other
changes, a decrease in the number of available hospital
beds and the decentralization of mental health care.
In view of the often profoundly debilitating cognitive
and behavioral disorders in patients with schizophrenia,
there have long been concerns about the possible
consequences of these organizational changes for these
patients' wellbeing. We earlier observed an increase
over time in both the overall mortality, and in the proportion
of suicides among the deaths, as well as in the
proportion of deaths due to unknown causes in these
patients (Nilsson and Lögdberg, 2005).
The objective of this study was to analyze the consequences
of these changes on one indicator of social
isolation among patients with schizophrenia — postmortem
time before discovery (PTD). We used a
frequency of PTD≥5 days as a marker of social isolation.
Although two studies have describedmedical correlates of
long PTD, such correlates have not previously been
reported for schizophrenia and other severe brain disorders
(Hönigschnabl et al., 2002; Thiblin et al., 2004, and
Thiblin et al., personal communication 2006).
Dead and forgotten—postmortem time before discovery as indicator of social isolation and inadequate mental healthcare in schizophreniaAbstractThe psychiatric care of patients with schizophrenia has changed dramatically following the “deinstitutionalization” of mental health care in many Western countries. In a study of forensic autopsies in the Swedish city of Malmö between 1952 and 2005, we found an increase over time in the number of patients with schizophrenia whose bodies were not discovered until late after death, which correlated closely with the decrease in the number of hospital beds in the psychiatric services used by this group of patients. This indicates a strong increase in the social isolation and unavailability of adequate mental health care for patients withschizophrenia.1. IntroductionThe psychiatric care of patients with schizophrenia andother serious psychiatric diseases has changed dramaticallyfollowing the process of “deinstitutionalization”of national mental health care in many Western countriesover the last few decades, which has led to, among otherchanges, a decrease in the number of available hospitalbeds and the decentralization of mental health care.In view of the often profoundly debilitating cognitiveand behavioral disorders in patients with schizophrenia,there have long been concerns about the possibleconsequences of these organizational changes for thesepatients' wellbeing. We earlier observed an increase
over time in both the overall mortality, and in the proportion
of suicides among the deaths, as well as in the
proportion of deaths due to unknown causes in these
patients (Nilsson and Lögdberg, 2005).
The objective of this study was to analyze the consequences
of these changes on one indicator of social
isolation among patients with schizophrenia — postmortem
time before discovery (PTD). We used a
frequency of PTD≥5 days as a marker of social isolation.
Although two studies have describedmedical correlates of
long PTD, such correlates have not previously been
reported for schizophrenia and other severe brain disorders
(Hönigschnabl et al., 2002; Thiblin et al., 2004, and
Thiblin et al., personal communication 2006).
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
