title: Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in Polish population - national health interview survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in Polish population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The national health interview survey was based on entire non-institutionalized Polish population by means of randomized, stratified (urban and rural census tracks) two-stage method (over 39 000 respondents). Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was based on General Health Questionnaire-12.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Psychiatric morbidity was noted in almost 1/4 of women and 1/5 of men in Poland, with small differences between urban and rural population. Every 10th woman reported such complaints at the age up to 25 years and every second above 75 years of age. Divorced and widowed respondents, irrespective of gender, have psychiatric disorders more frequently than compared groups. Higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was noted in out of work and especially disabled persons. The higher the level of education, the lower the frequency of psychiatric morbidity was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Presented survey enabled to evaluate prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in Polish representative sample. Findings should trigger more extended epidemiological studies. The requirement for epidemiological investigations increases in reform-awaiting health care system in Poland, for at least one reason that the improvement of the quality of services is closely associated with a detailed recognition of the problem.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiejna
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Medical Statistics, National Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wojtyniak
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychiatry, Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rymaszewska