title: Prevalence and comorbidity of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders among Saudi secondary school girls, Taif Area, KSA.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous Saudi studies have shown the psychiatric comorbidity among adolescent girls. This article was done to assess the prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among secondary school girls in Taif area.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional multistage cluster-sampling methodology was carried out on 1024 secondary school female students. Psychometric evaluation of students was carried out using the Beck depression inventory, Castello and Comery Anxiety scale and Obsessive - compulsive disorder scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 1024 participants, 42.9%, 54.9%, and 23.1% had significant depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive symptoms, respectively. In addition, 64.7% of them had symptoms of the three studied disorders. A highly significant positive correlation was found between depression score and both anxiety and OC symptoms scores and between anxiety score and OC symptoms score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need for a national intervention program for promotion of adolescent mental health. The program should include screening of students using the psychometric scales.
authors.affiliation: 1)Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Saudi Arabia. 2)Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufyia University, Egypt. dalia_desouky@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Dalia El-Sayed
authors.initials: Del-S
authors.lastname: Desouky
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufyia University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Reda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abdellatif Ibrahem
authors.affiliation: 4)Division of Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Al-Haweiah, Taif, Saudi Arabia. 5)Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Benha, Qalyubia, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salah Omar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*