MENTAL-HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE GOMEL REGION (BYELARUS) - AN ANALYSIS OF RISK-FACTORS IN AN AREA AFFECTED BY THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER

The epidemiology of mental problems in the Gomel region in the republi c of Belarus was studied in a two-stage survey of a broad based popula tion sample (N = 1617), using the General Health Questionnaire (12-ite m version) and the Munich Diagnostic Checklist for DSM-III-R. The Gome l region is one of the areas that was most severely affected by the Ch ernobyl nuclear diaster in 1986. In the studied population sample 64 . 8% had a GHQ-score above the threshold of 2. A DSM-III-R psychiatric disorder was present in 35 . 8%, with especially high rates for affect ive (16 . 5%) and anxiety disorders (12 . 6%). Dysthymia, general anxi ety disorder, adjustment disorders and 'not otherwise specified syndro mes' made up almost two-thirds of the observed morbidity (22 . 9%). A higher prevalence of mental health problems, both in terms of the GHQ and the DSM-III-R was observed among people who have been evacuated an d in mothers with children under 18 years of age. These data indicate that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster may be partly responsible for the high prevalence of(milder) psychiatric disorders and psychological dis tress in the Gomel region, even 6 years after the event. Future studie s comparing the data from Gomel region with an unexposed area will hav e to provide a more definite answer concerning the impact of this nucl ear disaster on mental health.