Excess mortality in schizophrenia and affective disorders. Do suicides and accidental deaths solely account for this excess?

Excess mortality was found in the first decade of follow-up for schizophrenia and affective disorders. This trend continued for schizophrenia throughout the entire four decades of the follow-up period. Suicides were higher than expected for all psychiatric groups except female schizophrenics and male manics. Accidental deaths were higher in these two groups, which did not show significantly excessive suicide rates. Suicides and accidental deaths were then excluded from the mortality analysis to determine their contribution to excess nortality. We conclude that death due to suicides and accidental deaths is not the sole cause for excess mortality, especially in schizophrenia.