Objective: To determine the mortality among admitted patients in the study centre, a pioneer psychiatric facility in the West African sub-region. Design: A detailed retrospective study of the records of all deaths among the inpatients during the ten-year period of January, 1991 to December, 2000. Setting: Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria; established in 1907 with present bed status of 535 and patronage from Lagos and it's environ, including the neighbouring Benin Republic. Subjects: Ninety six patients that died while on admission in the centre during the study period. Results: A total of 96 patients died over the ten-year period, giving an annual rate of 9.6. The age range was 14-87 years, and mean of 44.4 (SD ±16.8) years. The male: female ratio was 1:1.6. Schizophrenia (26%) and major depression (25%) constituted the main psychiatric diagnoses at the time of admission among the cohort. The commonest cause of death included infections/infestations, most especially malaria and septicaemia (44% of the cohort). Conclusion: It is concluded that the major psychotic disorders, schizophrenia and depression continue to constitute the highest psychopathologies diagnosed psychiatric mortality study. Finally, infections/infestations still continue to play leading role as major causes of death in the West African sub-region.

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