Major mental disorders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I. Schizophrenia, schizoaffective and cognitive disorders

We report here on a survey conducted in Addis Ababa between September and D ecember of 1994 to estimate the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and severe cognitive disorders. An Amhar ic version of the CIDI was used to collect data from a random community sam ple of 1420 individuals aged 15 and above. Weighted lifetime and one-month prevalence were 0.4% and 0.3%, for schizophrenia, and 0.5% and 0.4% for sch izoaffective disorders, respectively. The prevalence of severe cognitive di sorders was found to be 2.6%. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that th e risk of lifetime psychosis (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar disor ders, and depressive episodes with psychotic symptoms) was significantly hi gher in the age group 25-44 years compared to the reference age group of 15 -24 years: adjusted Odds Ratio and 95% confidence interval, OR (95%CI) = 2. 41(1.01, 5.74); it was also significantly higher in the never married group compared to those married: OR (95%CI) = 3.01(1.08, 8.42). The risk was sig nificantly lower in the employed compared to the unemployed: OR (95%CI) = 0 .42 (0.18, 1.00). There was a statistically significant trend of increasing risk of severe cognitive disorders with increasing age. The trend was in t he reverse direction for educational status, the risk decreasing significan tly with increasing educational attainment.