RT - Journal Article T1 - Epidemiology of Mental Disorders in Urbanized Areas of Natanz JF - ijpcp YR - 2003 JO - ijpcp VO - 8 IS - 4 UR - http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-213-en.html SP - 32 EP - 38 K1 - epidemiology K1 - mental disorders K1 - Natanz K1 - General Health Questionnaire-28 AB - AbstractObjectives: The present study was an epidemiological assessment of mental disorders among 15 years or older residents of urbanized areas of the town of Natanz. Method: This was a cross sectional and retrospective study. By using existing files in the mental health network, 650 families randomly and systemically were selected and their members’ gender was identified as the subjects of the study. Data were gathered in two stages at first, randomly one person from each family, 650 were selected to be assessed by General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). In the second stage, 62 man and 107 women whose GHQ scores were above the cut off point were further evaluated by clinical interviews on the basis of DSM-IV criteria. Findings: This study showed that the epidemiological rate of mental disorders is 17.2% for men and 31.3% for women. Significant correlations were obtained between subjects’ mental disorder with their age, sex, level of education, marital status, employment status, and family history of illness. The most prevalent disorders were dysthymia (5.8%), generalized anxiety (5.3%), and depression (3.3%). Results: Deficiency in affection, financial insufficiency, and prior history of mental illness in the family increase the likelihood of mental disorders particularly the mild ones.This study showed that the prevalence of mental disorders in the examined town (24.2%) was above the findings of other studies.  LA eng UL http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-213-en.html M3 ER -