Margaret, Yes, I think details on death certificates shouldn't be taken too seriously. Especially in the case of 'insanity'. My father always said there was insanity in the family and wouldn't speak about the past events (the biggie only came to light when I started researching the family tree - whether he knew or not I will never know now) and I must admit my daughter worries about inheriting the 'family trait'. I too spent my youth worrying about this. But not any more. Life's too short to worry about what what happen to you healthwise and what you might die of. And let's face it, people live longer and so more chance of getting dementia; doctors sometimes get it wrong and put the wrong cause of death on the certificate; and in the case of asylums, people were often put in there simply because they had a baby out of wedlock or had post natal depression or other minor illnesses which could be treated or cured these days. As a doctor once told my friend how long he thought her mother would last (when she got old and infirm) he said: "as long as her heart beats". Which is true. It is more healthy for people to look up death certificates or hospital records of ancestors out of interest sake and not take things too literally. Regards Diana Regarding: Diana Just to look at a lighter side as 3 generations of our family had mental problems on their death certificate my 2 brothers are being watched very carefully by their wives. None of the men mentioned had anything more than their families thought was old age. I sympathise with your details ref your father because the Edward I mentioned was my father. regards Margaret