Mortality and community mental health. The Alachua County, Florida, mortality study

This study reports the results of a household survey and search of death certificates that show a relationship between depression, anxiety, and subsequent mortality. It is part of an effort to develop practical epidemiologic techniques for continuous assessment of community mental health. Use is made of the population attributable mortality rate, estimated from a comparison of the prevalence of a given factor in life and at death. The study estimated attributable mortality prospectively by following up participants in a mental health survey of Alachua County, Florida, for up to four years. Of eight mental scales examined, five (mood, depression, somatic symptoms of anxiety, the Health Opinion Survey, and selected psychopathologic symptoms) showed significant association of scores with community mortality. The data suggest linkages of mental factors to mortality of an order of magnitude sufficient to warrant consideration of these factors as leading causes of death.