Abstract
BackgroundA major component of illness burden is role impairment. As part of the recently-completed Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS), we compare the number of days out of role in the Saudi population associated with ten core mental disorders assessed in the survey to those associated with ten commonly occurring chronic physical disorders.MethodsThe SNMHS was a household survey that assessed prevalence of ten common anxiety, mood, disruptive behavior, and eating disorders in a nationally representative sample of n = 1981 citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) ages 15–65. Comparison information was obtained on prevalence of ten common chronic physical disorders and number of health-related days out of role (DOR) in the 30 days before interview. Generalized linear models were used to examine univariate and multivariable associations of disorders with DOR and to calculate population attributable risk (PAR) separately and overall for the disorders controlling for socio-demographics.Results19.9% of respondents had one or more of the selected mental disorders and 47.1% had one or more of the selected physical disorders. Nine mental disorders and two physical disorders were associated with increased DOR. PAR was 32.9% for mental disorders, 27.0% for physical disorders, and 59.9% for both combined.ConclusionsMental disorders are associated with a substantial proportion of all health-related DOR in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Programs to detect and treat mental disorders might lead to substantially decreased role impairment in the Kingdom.
Highlights
IntroductionAs part of the recently-completed Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS), we compare the number of days out of role in the Saudi population associ‐ ated with ten core mental disorders assessed in the survey to those associated with ten commonly occurring chronic physical disorders
A major component of illness burden is role impairment
Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study suggest that mental disorders need to be a central component in these plans given that this class of disorders is estimated to play a key role in the disease burden of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) population [7, 8]
Summary
As part of the recently-completed Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS), we compare the number of days out of role in the Saudi population associ‐ ated with ten core mental disorders assessed in the survey to those associated with ten commonly occurring chronic physical disorders. Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study suggest that mental disorders need to be a central component in these plans given that this class of disorders is estimated to play a key role in the disease burden of the KSA population [7, 8]. The Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS) was carried out to address this limitation by producing direct estimates of mental disorder prevalence and burden. Initial SNMHS reports documented high prevalence of common mental disorders [9, 10] and low rates of treatment [11, 12]. The current report presents the first data on the societal burden of these disorders
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