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Assessment of the Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorder in Young Adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Robert F. Ferdinand ,
Matthias van der Reijden ,
Frank C. Verhulst ,
Fokko J. Nienhuis  and
Robert Giel
Robert F. Ferdinand
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University, Rotterdam
Matthias van der Reijden
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University, Rotterdam
Frank C. Verhulst*
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University, Rotterdam
Fokko J. Nienhuis
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Robert Giel
Affiliation:
Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
*
Dr Verhulst, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Background

The effectiveness of different assessment procedures for determining prevalence rates of psychiatric disorder in young adults was investigated.

Method

In a two-stage multi-method procedure, the Young Adult Self-Report, the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), the Structured Interview for Personality Disorders (Revised), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale were used to assess prevalence rates in 706 19–24-year-olds from the general population. Furthermore, individuals' subjective perception of distress and referral to mental health services were assessed.

Results

The prevalence of any SCAN/DSM–III–R disorder was 19.3% (95% confidence interval: 11.2–27.4%). Most subjects who received a SCAN/DSM–III–R diagnosis were only mildly impaired. The highest prevalence rates of dysfunctioning (GAF score below 61) without referral to mental health services were for dissociative disorder (2.3%), sleep disorder (2.1 %), alcohol dependence (1.3%) and affective disorder (1.8%).

Conclusion

Instruments that assess functional impairment in addition to DSM–III–R diagnoses are indispensable in prevalence studies.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 166 , Issue 4 , April 1995 , pp. 480 - 488
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995 

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