Research methods in psychiatric epidemiology: an overview.
OBJECTIVE
To provide an introduction to the concepts and methods of psychiatric epidemiology for non-specialist readers.


METHODS
An overview of concepts and research procedures based on the published literature.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric epidemiology is a key mental health discipline that has adopted and developed a variety of methods and procedures for the study of complex mental disorders. In its future development, psychiatric epidemiology is likely to seek an integration of the conceptual and methodological advances of molecular biology and neuroscience within the population-based and social framework of epidemiology as a basic science of public health.
Jablensky
Assen
A
The University of Western Australia, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science, Perth WA 6000, Australia. assen@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*