Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients admitted at the Lunatic Asylum, Bengaluru (now NIMHANS) and treatment outcome in the early 20th century (1903–1911)

•In-patient register of the Lunatic asylum, Bangalore between 1903–1911 was reviewed.•Majority were male (75 %) with mean duration of stay of 11.9 years.•Acute mania (33.7 %) and chronic mania (20.2 %) were the most frequent diagnoses.•At the time of discharge, 35.5 % were reported to be cured and 12.1 % improved.•Mean life expectancy of patients was higher than the general population of the time. Historiography of South Asian mental asylums is generally skewed towards asylums operated by the British. The Lunatic asylum, Bengaluru, later to become NIMHANS, was one of the early asylums and was administered by a princely state (Mysore). This study aims to evaluate socio-demographic and clinical characteristics as well as the treatment outcome of patients admitted to the Lunatic Asylum, Bengaluru in the early 20th century (1903–1911). A review of inpatient registers at the Lunatic Asylum, Bengaluru was conducted for the years 1903–1911 and analysed using descriptive statistical methods. There were 620 admissions during this period and three-fourths were men (n = 465, 75.0 %). The mean age of the patients was 32.09 ± 10.29 years at the time of admission. Acute mania (n = 209, 33.7 %), chronic mania (n = 125, 20.2 %) and dementia (n = 65, 10.5 %) were the most frequent diagnoses. At the time of discharge, 35.5 % reported being cured and 12.1 % improved. The overall death rate of patients at the asylum was 27.2 %. Subjects who died had a mean duration of in-patient stay of 11.9 years. The mean age at death was 45.7 years with the comparable life-expectancy of the general population during the period being around 23 years. In-patients in the Lunatic Asylum, Bengaluru in the pre-antipsychotic era had a good outcome with approximately 50 % being cured or showing improvement and longer life expectancy than the general population.