One-year prevalence and incidence of depression among first-year university students in Japan: A preliminary study

A structured interview was used to examine the 1-year incidence and prevale nce of depression among 116 first-year university students. While 24 of the subjects (20.7%) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disor ders 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for Major Depressive Episode (MDE), 62 (53.4 %) met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 3rd ed. Re vised (DSM-III-R) criteria for MDE, and 27 (23.3%) also met the Research Di agnostic Criteria (RDC) for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for the 12 mont hs prior to the interview. Moreover, 23 of the subjects (19.8%) had onset o f the DSM-IV criteria for MDE, 54 (46.6%) had onset of the DSM-III-R criter ia for MDE, 24 (20.7%) had onset of the RDC for MDD, during the same time p eriod. These high rates of depression may be explained by the students' dif ficulties in and by their readjustment after entering university.