Mental and Behavioral Disorders in Deaths of Women in Fertile Age

Mental and behavioural disorders (MD) have considerable frequency when studied in the mortality of women in fertile age. The objectives of this research were to analyze the information on MD occurred in the deaths of such women, to know its age distribution and to link its presence, as associated causes, in cases of suicides and deaths by maternal causes. It was investigated a total of 7,332 deaths of women aged 10 to 49 years occurred in the Brazilian state capitals, in the first semester of 2002, using Reproductive Age Mortality Survey (RAMOS) methodology (household interviews and information from physicians, medical records and necropsy reports). There was a gain of information (112%) on MD as an underlying cause of death, when the original and the new certificates (after the research) had been compared. From the total deaths, 1% referred MD as underlying cause of death; in 70 death by MD, 64% used psychoactive substances; depressive episodes corresponded to 13%. There was an average of 0.12 mentions of MD per death (total of 869 mentions). Depression was mentioned in a large number of cases of suicides. The conclusion pointed that MD was mainly related to the use of psychoactive substances, and as an associated cause, had a great importance in the mortality of women in fertile age, indicating the need of studies and programs addressed to their health.