Risk of Premature Death May Be Highest in Year Following Psychiatric Hospital Discharge

Multiple studies have documented the challenges that patients with psychiatric disorders might face after being discharged from inpatient psychiatric services. A study published today in JAMA Psychiatry now finds that the first year following discharge may mark a period of increased risk of premature death from both natural and unnatural causes.

The study highlights the need for clinicians to work together to monitor and support patients shortly after a psychiatric hospitalization discharge.

β€œIn this national, register-based cohort study of 1,683,385 Danish residents, 48,599 of whom were discharged from inpatient psychiatric care for the first time, the risk of dying prematurely within the first year of discharge was 16 times higher than the risk for those who were not admitted to a psychiatric facility,” Roger T. Webb, Ph.D., of the University of Manchester in England and colleagues wrote.

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