Hospital-treated and general-population morbidity from affective disorders. Comparison of prevalence and inception rates.
In this study, we compare the rates of psychiatric disorders found among women in a random sample of the general population with those of patients referred to specialist services. Both these groups were drawn from the same geographical area. The ratio of prevalence rates is less than the ratio between inception rates in the two groups. When only those with affective disorders were considered, the results revealed that the point prevalence in the treated-disorders group was only 1% of the community-group prevalence, while the inception into care in the former group was nearly 6% of that in the latter. Single women and older women were over-represented in the hospital sample.
Sashidharan
S P
SP
Unit for Epidemiological Studies in Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Surtees
P G
PG
Kreitman
N B
NB
Ingham
J G
JG
Miller
P M
PM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004243:Divorce; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D012017:Referral and Consultation