Zorgwekkend gedrag en overlijden

Objective

To gain insight into the nature of Public Mental Health Care (OGGZ) problems and identify opportunities for timely detection and referral to appropriate care.

Design

Retrospective observational study.

Method

OGGZ reports and forensic post-mortem examinations of residents from seventeen municipalities in the Utrecht region (2018–2024) were included. Descriptive analyses were conducted on all OGGZ reports and on a subgroup of individuals with both an OGGZ report and a registered forensic post-mortem examination.

Results

At the time of reporting, 73% of individuals were already known to one or more healthcare services, and 33% had repeated reports. Psychiatric problems were the most frequently reported issue (70%). Among 7,172 unique individuals with an OGGZ report, 155 subsequently underwent a forensic post-mortem examination. Within this subgroup, 70% died within one year of their last report, predominantly from non-natural causes.

Conclusion

Early identification, interdisciplinary collaboration, and accessible care are essential to reach individuals who avoid regular healthcare services.

Conflict of interest and financial support: This study was financially supported by a grant from ZonMw, grant number 10610112310004. ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.