Impaired role functioning and treatment rates for mental disorders and chronic physical disorders in metropolitan China.
OBJECTIVE
To compare impairments in role functioning and treatment rate of mental disorders and chronic physical disorders in the general population of metropolitan China.


METHODS
Face-to-face household interviews of 5201 people aged 18 to 70 years in Beijing and Shanghai were conducted from November 2001 to February 2002, using a multistage household probability sampling method. The World Mental Health version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used for assessing sociodemographic characteristics, diagnoses, and treatment. The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) was used to measure disorder-specific role impairment.


RESULTS
Respondents generally attributed greater impairment to mental disorders than to chronic physical disorders, although there were some variations among specific disorders. This general pattern was supported by within-person comparison of impairment associated with a mental disorder versus any chronic physical disorder. Depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific phobia were the most impairing mental disorders. Diabetes, headaches, and asthma were the most impairing physical disorders. Comorbid mental and physical disorders were associated with more severe impairment. A much lower percentage of respondents with mental disorders (3.0%) than chronic physical disorders (42.8%) received treatment in the previous 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Common mental disorders were associated with greater impairment than chronic physical disorders but were markedly undertreated. They warrant prioritization in the allocation of healthcare resources in China.
From the Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR, P.R. China. singlee@cuhk.edu.hk
Sing
S
Lee
Wan-jun
WJ
Guo
Adley
A
Tsang
Yan-ling
YL
He
Yue-qin
YQ
Huang
Zhao-rui
ZR
Liu
Ming-yuan
MY
Zhang
Yu-cun
YC
Shen
Ronald C
RC
Kessler
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012380:Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*