title: Psychiatric disorders among adolescents from Lebanon: prevalence, correlates, and treatment gap.
abstract: Adolescence is a critical age for the development of psychiatric disorders. Although Lebanon, a low-to-middle income country, has suffered from decades of war and political instability, the burden of psychiatric disorders among adolescents in Lebanon remains unclear. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and to study the correlates and treatment seeking behavior associated with these disorders.
  
  
  
  Through a multistage cluster sampling design, 510 adolescents, aged 11-17 years were recruited from a household sample in Beirut in 2012. Parents and adolescents completed a battery of self-reported questionnaires and interviews including the Development and Well-being Assessment (DAWBA), the Peer-Relations Questionnaire (PRQ), and a demographic/clinical information questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to study the correlates of psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  
  The 30-day prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 26.1 %, with anxiety disorders (13.1 %) and ADHD (10.2 %) being the most prevalent disorders. Only 6 % of those with disorders reported seeking professional help. Parental marital status, not attending school, having a chronic medical condition, having a family history of psychiatric disorders, as well as propensity to bullying and to being victimized by peers emerged as correlates of having psychiatric disorders.
  
  
  
  A clear treatment gap is evident with a high 30-day prevalence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents in Beirut coupled with a very low percentage seeking treatment. Scaling up mental health services and addressing potential barriers to seeking care would be important to close this gap.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Riad El Solh, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, 11072020, Lebanon. fm38@aub.edu.lb.
authors.forename: Fadi T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Maalouf
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Lilian A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ghandour
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Riad El Solh, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, 11072020, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Halabi
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Riad El Solh, PO Box 11-0236, Beirut, 11072020, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeinoun
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Al Amira Safa
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shehab
authors.affiliation: Department of Cross-Cultural Studies, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tavitian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010290:Parents; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools; D057566:Self Report
keywords: Adolescence; Arab world; Epidemiology; Lebanon; Mental health