Results are reported from the first wave of the Yale Epidemiologic Catchment (ECA) Project, a large community survey conducted in South-central Connecticut, USA. The NIMH-Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) was employed in the study to generate DSM III diagnoses. The 6-month prevalence rate from the unweighted data are reported. Factors associated with having had a recent DSM III diagnosis are examined. The need to take the age and sex of respondents into account when interpreting these relationships is emphasized.