AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF MENTAL-DISORDERS IN A 10-YEAR COHORT OF YOUNG-ADULTS IN ISRAEL

This is an overview of a two-phase epidemiological study of mental dis orders among young adults in a ten-year birth cohort (1949-58) conduct ed in Israel. A sample of 4914 Israel-born offspring of Jewish immigra nts was obtained by full probability sampling procedures and screened for caseness using psychometric symptom scales from the Psychiatric Ep idemiology Research Interview (PERI). Those screened positive and almo st a fifth of the negatives (N = 2741) were interviewed by psychiatris ts using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Israe l version (SADS-I), in order to determine prevalence rates of specific disorders as defined by the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC). The c ompletion rates for each interview phase were 94.5% and 90.7% respecti vely. Six-month prevalence rates are presented by gender, ethnic origi n, and education. Approximately one-fifth of the birth cohort met curr ent RDC criteria for a disorder at the definite level, excluding the R DC category of 'other psychiatric disorder'. Generalized anxiety disor der and major depressive disorder were the most commonly found types. The striking findings centre on alcoholism and drug use disorder which were exceedingly rare, and the unusually similar rates of major depre ssion for males and females. The results from this study are discussed in comparison with those obtained from other epidemiological studies.