Twelve-month prevalence rates of mental disorders and service use in the Argentinean Study of Mental Health Epidemiology.

Abstract

Community surveys of mental disorders and service use are important for public health policy and planning. There is a dearth of information for Latin America. This is the first representative community survey in the Argentinean population. The purpose is to estimate the 12-month prevalence and severity of mental disorders, socio-demographic correlates and service use in a general population survey of adults from urban areas of Argentina. The World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview was administered to 3927 individuals aged 18years and older participating in a multistage clustered area probability household survey. The response rate was 77%. The 12-month prevalence of any disorder was 14.8%, and a quarter of those disorders were classified as severe. Younger participants and those with lower education had greater odds of any disorder and most classes of disorder. 11.6% of the total population received treatment in the prior 12months and only 30.2% of those with a severe disorder. Women and those never married were more likely to receive or seek treatment, whereas those with low and low-average education were less likely. Most individuals with a mental disorder in the past year, even those with a severe disorder, have not received treatment. Because low education is a barrier to treatment, initiatives aimed at mental health education might help timely detection and treatment of these disorders in Argentina.