NVvP

ACHTERGROND

Population-based data on the prevalence, persistence, and correlates of adolescent mental disorders are important for policy planning purposes and etiologic models. Only limited recent data of this sort are available.

DOEL

We present (1) lifetime prevalence rates of common DSM-IV disorders among 18-19 year olds, (2) indications of persistence (12-month prevalence among lifetime cases and 30-day prevalence among 12-month cases), and (3) clustering of mental disorders.

METHODEN

In a population-based birth cohort, representative for the Northern Netherlands, we administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview to nearly 1600 adolescents aged 18 or 19 to establish DSM-IV research diagnoses.

RESULTATEN

The lifetime prevalence estimates of the selected DSM-IV disorder is 43%; the 12-month prevalence amounts to 29%. The 12-month to lifetime prevalence ratio is 0.67 suggesting substantial persistence of mental illness. The 30-day to 12-month prevalence ratio is 0.46, significantly lower than the 12-month to lifetime prevalence ratio of 0.67, indicating that the persistence is more due to recurrence of episodes than to chronicity. Anxiety disorders are the most common group of disorders, followed by behavior, mood, and substance disorders. Although relative disorder prevalence is quite stable over time, 30-day to 12-month prevalence ratios are higher for anxiety and behavior disorders than mood or substance disorders, suggesting that the former are more chronic than the latter. Substantial clustering of morbidity occurs in about 5% (dependent of its definition) of the adolescents and is strongly associated with sociodemographic risk and protective factors

CONCLUSIE

Among Dutch adolescents in the North of the Netherlands, DSM-IV disorders are highly prevalent and persistent. Persistence is higher for adolescents than among adults and appears to be due more to recurrence than chronicity of early onset disorders. Most episodes are mild but about 5% suffers from serious comorbidity.