Overview of Descriptive Epidemiology of Mental Disorders

Abstract

(from the chapter) Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and correlates of illness in the population. The 3 stages of epidemiological investigation are descriptive, analytic, and experimental. Descriptive epidemiology is concerned with the distribution of illness onset and course. This chapter provides an overview of current knowledge about descriptive psychiatric epidemiology. It begins with a historical overview and then presents a selective overview of the results regarding the descriptive epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in the US, based on recent surveys that have used the Diagnostic Interview Schedule or the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The focus is on the prevalence of dichotomously defined disorders as set forth in the DSM. (chapter) Topics discussed include: lifetime and recent prevalences of Axis I Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III—Revised (DSM-III-R) disorders, serious mental illness, personality disorders, comorbidity, age of onset, sociodemographic correlates (social class, race, age, gender, marital and employment status, urbanicity), and social consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (chapter)