One-year prevalence of psychiatric disorder in Ontarians 15 to 64 years of age

Objective: To present the one-year prevalence of 14 psychiatric disorders in a community sample of Ontarians aged 15 to 64 years. Method: Data on psychiatric disorders were collected on 9953 respondents using the University of Michigan revision of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (UM-CIDI). DSM-III-R criteria were used to define the psychiatric disorders. Results: Almost 1 in 5 Ontarians (18.6%) had one or more of the disorders measured in the survey. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, 1 in 4 was affected The distribution of individual disorders varied by sex and age. Conclusion: Because of the immense burden of suffering associated with psychiatric disorders, clinical and research efforts in this area should receive high priority within the health budget.