The Sesto Fiorentino study: point and one-year prevalences of psychiatric disorders in an Italian community sample using clinical interviewers.
BACKGROUND
It has been argued that lay interviewers' use of fully-structured interviews could lead to a diagnostic pattern different to that by treating physicians. Clinical interviewers in community samples should probably identify cases that are closer to those seen in clinical settings. The greatest advantage of using clinical interviewers consists of the immediate assessment of a possible psychopathology, i.e. the evaluation of current disorders.


METHODS
Two thousand three hundred and sixty-three citizens from the community of Sesto Fiorentino, Italy, were interviewed by their own general practitioners using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Positive cases for any lifetime psychiatric disorder as well as a random sample of the negative cases were re-interviewed by psychiatrists or trained residents in psychiatry using the Florence Psychiatric Interview (FPI).


RESULTS
The point prevalence for any current disorder was 8.7%; the two disorders with the highest prevalence were generalised anxiety disorder (2.9%) and major depressive episode (2.7%). The figures increase about 50% when the sub-threshold sequelae of previous disorders are considered. Current comorbidity was generally high. The one-year prevalence of any disorder was 10.6%. Ninety-two percent of the cases sought help, 82% were being treated at the moment of interview. Social impairment was considerable.


CONCLUSIONS
The period prevalence rates for most of the disorders considered were generally comparable with the range defined by previous studies conducted in other Western countries, despite using different methodologies. Conversely, the use of health facilities, the treatment received and the social impairment were much higher than those reported by the other studies, suggesting a greater similarity with the clinical samples.
Faravelli
Carlo
C
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. carlo.faravelli@unifi.it
Abrardi
Luca
L
Bartolozzi
Daniela
D
Cecchi
Cristiana
C
Cosci
Fiammetta
F
D'Adamo
Donato
D
Lo Iacono
Beatrice
B
Ravaldi
Claudia
C
Scarpato
Maria Alessandra
MA
Truglia
Elisabetta
E
Rossi Prodi
Paolo Maria
PM
Rosi
Simone
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires