title: Mental Disorders in People Affected by Thalidomide.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  More than 50 years after the withdrawal of thalidomide from the market, subsequent orthopedic damages and psychosocial impairments dominate the complaints of thalidomide-affected individuals. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of mental disorders in this group.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 193 thalidomide-affected individuals from North Rhine-Westphalia (mean age 50.5 years, 56.5% women) underwent personal and comprehensive psychodiagnostic testing, which was based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV disorders (SCID-I & SCID-II) and self-reporting questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the four-week prevalence of mental disorders was 47.2%. Multiple mental disorders were present in 45.1% among the 91 participants with diagnosed mental disorders. The most frequent diagnoses were unipolar depressive disorders (16.5%), somatoform disorders (14.0%), phobic disorders (12.4%), and alcohol-related disorders (6.2%). Immediate mental health care was indicated in 80.2% of participants with current mental disorders, but only 29.7% had used some form of psychosocial treatment in the 12 months preceding the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mental disorders occur approximately twice as often (relative risk [RR]: 1.77; 95% confidence interval [1.49; 2.10]) in thalidomide-affected individuals as in the age-matched German population. Together with a very low rate of utilization of mental health care, this finding implies an underuse of psychosocial healthcare. The development of specialized psychosocial treatment services may remove barriers that impede access to the healthcare system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne; Department of Orthopedics and Osteology, Dr. Becker Rhein-Sieg-Klinik Nümbrecht; Institute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology and Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology, University of Cologne; Faculty of Business Management and Social Sciences, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences; Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science (IMVR), University of Cologne & University Hospital Cologne.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niecke
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samel
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lüngen
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pfaff
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albus
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013001:Somatoform Disorders; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D013792:Thalidomide