An epidemiological study of psychiatric disorders in Qazvin

Abstract Background: Planning for providing essential mental health services to the people requires a comprehensive understanding of the present status of psychiatric disorders in the society. Objective: To carry out the epidemiological study of the psychiatric disorders among the individuals within the age group of 18 years and above in urban and rural areas of Qazvin. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey in the year 2001. 354 individuals were selected through randomized systematic and clustered sampling methods from among the existing families of Qazvin province. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) questionnaires were completed by a clinical psychologist. The diagnosis of the disorders was based on DSM-IV classification criteria. Findings: The results of the study showed that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the province is 31.61% with a value of 42.23% for women and 20.66% for men. The anxiety and mood disorders with 20.89 and 4.80% respectively, showed a higher prevalence in the province. The prevalence of psychotic disorders in this study was 1.12%, neuro-cognitive disorders 2.54% and dissociative disorders 2.26%. In the group of mood disorders, major depression with 2.82% and in the group of anxiety disorders, phobia with 8.19 % showed a higher prevalence. Conclusion: The findings make the responsibility of the health policy makers and programmers, in the fields of prevention, treatment and medical education more than before in relation to preparing both executive and practical plans in Qazvin province for mental health.