THE PREVALENCE OF DSM-III-R DIAGNOSES IN A NATIONAL SAMPLE OF DUTCH ADOLESCENTS

Background: We estimated the 6-month prevalence of psychiatric disorde rs among Dutch adolescents, using standardized, internationally availa ble, and replicable assessment procedures, and assessed sex difference s and comorbidity of diagnoses. Methods: In phase 1, the parent, self- report, and teacher versions of the Child Behavior Checklist screened a sample representative of 13- to 18-year-olds from the Dutch general population. In phase 2, the parent (P) and child (C) versions of the D iagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) provided DSM-III-R di agnoses for a selected subsample of 780 subjects. Results: The prevale nce of any disorder was 21.5% for the DISC-C and 21.8% for the DISC-P. There was little overlap between subjects identified as having a diso rder by the DISC-P and the DISC-C; only 4% met the criteria for any di sorder on both. The most common disorders were simple phobia, social p hobia, and conduct disorder. The most frequent comorbid diagnoses were anxiety and mood disorders. Conclusions: Although prevalences of more than 21% for DISC-C- and DISC-P-derived diagnoses seem high, many ado lescents with DSM-III-R diagnoses functioned quite well. The prevalenc e of any DSM-III-R diagnosis based on the DISC-C or DISC-P, in combina tion with the criterion for a definite case, was 7.9%.