Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders in the Chile psychiatric prevalence study.
OBJECTIVE
Although several epidemiological studies of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders have been conducted in Latin America, few of them were national studies that could be used to develop region-wide estimates. Data are presented on the prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders, demographic correlates, comorbidity, and service utilization in a nationally representative adult sample from Chile.


METHODS
The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was administered to a stratified random sample of 2,978 individuals from four provinces representative of the country's population age 15 and older. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence rates were estimated.


RESULTS
Approximately one-third (31.5%) of the population had a lifetime psychiatric disorder, and 22.2% had a disorder in the past 12 months. The most common lifetime psychiatric disorders were agoraphobia (11.1%), social phobia (10.2%), simple phobia (9.8%), major depressive disorder (9.2%), and alcohol dependence (6.4%). Of those with a 12-month prevalence diagnosis, 30.1% had a comorbid psychiatric disorder. The majority of those with comorbidity had sought out mental health services, in contrast to one-quarter of those with a single disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence rates in Chile are similar to those obtained in other studies conducted in Latin America and Spanish-speaking North American groups. Comorbidity and alcohol use disorders, however, were not as prevalent as in North America.
Vicente
Benjamin
B
Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 60-C, Concepción, Chile. bvicent@udec.cl
Kohn
Robert
R
Rioseco
Pedro
P
Saldivia
Sandra
S
Levav
Itzhak
I
Torres
Silverio
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors