An analysis of the national statistics on mortality in psychiatric hospitals, covering 14 years from 1968 to 1982, provided rates of deaths by suicides, accidents and ill-defined symptoms (chapters 16 and 17 in the ICD). Death rates among psychiatric inpatients are compared to rates in the general population. For suicide, there is an increase of about 45% in patients under 75, which is higher than for the general population. The evolution for accidents is close to that found in the general population. The death rate by ill-defined symptoms is decreasing. The increase in the rates of deaths by suicide found both in France and in several other countries suggests that the major changes (sectorization policy and use of psychotropic drugs), in the care lead to increased risk of suicide for certain patients due to shortened hospital stays and subsequent intermittent institutional care. Specific modes of death can also be described: senility without mention of psychosis, airway obstruction by false passages, notably in subjects under 55, accidental falls, hangings and drownings are particularly important in the observed over-mortality.