INCIDENCE AND COMORBIDITY OF MENTAL-DISOR DERS IN ADOLESCENTS - RESULTS OF THE BREMEN YOUTH STUDY

In this report, we present some data from the Bremer Adolescents Study (Bremer Jugendstudie; BJS) on the frequency and comorbidity of anxiet y, depressive, substance use, and somatoform disorders in the 12 to 17 year olds. A high proportion of our adolescents met the lifetime crit eria for selected DSM-IV diagnoses. Anxiety disorders had the highest lifetime rate (18,6%), followed by depressive (17,9%), somatoform (13, 1%), and substance use disorders (12,3%). All of these disorders showe d significant gender differences, with anxiety, depressive and somatof orm disorders being significantly higher in females than in males; by contrast, substance use disorders were significantly higher in males t han in females. The rates for all the disorders increased with age, wi th the greatest increase occurring mostly between age 14 to 15 years; such increase was more prominent in females than in males. Our results imply the importance of identifying psychiatric disorders in adolesce nce, and for preventive and intervention strategies that concern the d evelopmental needs.