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Depression
Last edited |
10/26/2008
Major depressive disorders are estimated to occur at rates of
2% to 6% in the general population of the USA and Western Europe (1-6)
Variations in prevalence estimates are due partly to the time frame used
(previous year or previous month basis) and to the diagnostic instruments
employed (DIS, UM-CIDI, CIS-R).
Major Depressive
Disorder is one of the most common of mental disorders.
It is the second most
common cause of disability in industrial countries.
In our studies, the point prevalence of a DSM-IV
Major Depressive Episode
(4.3%) is comparable to the one-month prevalence reported in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) (4.9%).
When we excluded the individuals with
substance abuse or dependence, bipolar disorders or non-affective psychosis,
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the
prevalence of a Major Depressive
Episode dropped to 2.4%, which is close to the 2.2% of the Epidemiological
Catchment Area (ECA) rate
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and close also to the 2.1% rate of pure episode of
Major Depression reported in the NCS study.
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