-
Prevalence of pure and comorbid mental disorders in Belgium
Bruffaerts R , Bonnewyn A , Van Oyen H , Demarest S , Demyttenaere K
Rev Med Liege 2003, 58(12),741-750Abstract : OBJECTIVE: To describe the 12-month and lifetime prevalence rates of pure and comorbid mental disorders in Belgium. METHOD: A representative random sample of non-institutionalized inhabitants from Belgium aged 18 or older (N = 2419) was interviewed between April 2001 and June 2002. DSM-IV disorders were assessed by lay interviewers using a revised version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-2000). RESULTS: More than 27% reported a lifetime history of at least one mental disorder; one in nine reported the presence of a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Major depressive disorder (MDD) and alcohol abuse were the most common lifetime disorders; MDD and specific phobia were most common in the past 12 months. Psychiatric comorbidity was also a common condition. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric disorders in Belgium are frequent. More than two million Belgians have had a mental disorders at a certain moment in their life; more than 800,000 have had a mental disorder in the past 12 months
