title: Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders among young adults in Finland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study investigated the epidemiology of eating disorders in a population-based sample of young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mental health questionnaire was sent to a nationally representative two-stage cluster sample of 1863 Finns aged 20-35 years. All screen-positives and a random sample of screen-negatives were invited to participate in a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) interview. Case records from all lifetime mental health treatments were also obtained and were used to complement the diagnostic assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating disorder not otherwise specified and any eating disorder among women were 2.1%, 2.3%, 2.0% and 6.0%, respectively, while there was only one man with an eating disorder. Unlike other mental disorders, they are associated with high education. Of women diagnosed with lifetime eating disorder, 67.9% had at least one comorbid Axis I psychiatric disorder, most commonly depressive disorder. While 79.3% of women with lifetime eating disorder had had a treatment contact, only one third of persons with current eating disorder had a current treatment contact. Women whose eating disorder had remitted still experienced more psychological distress and had lower psychosocial functioning that women without lifetime Axis I disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eating disorders are the fourth largest group of mental disorders among young women. They tend to be comorbid, often remain untreated and are associated with residual symptoms after the remission of eating disorder symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Sini Lähteenmäki M.D., National Institute for Health and Welfare, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services , 00271 Helsinki , Finland.
authors.forename: Sini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lähteenmäki
authors.forename: Suoma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saarni
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suokas
authors.forename: Samuli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saarni
authors.forename: Jonna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perälä
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lönnqvist
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suvisaari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult