 Mortality studies consider it likely that the majority of open verdicts are recorded in cases of suicide where the intent of the deceased could not be proved, although the verdict is recorded in many other circumstances.Two Lords Chief Justice have cautioned an open verdict does not mean the jury has failed to do their duty of explaining the cause of death, but, in some cases there is real doubt about the cause of death.However, the uncertainty explicit in the verdict has led many to regard it as an unsatisfactory one.