Distribution of Major Mental Disorders in an US Metropolis

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the evolution of psychiatric nosologies in North America and the major epidemiological surveys of Mental Disorders culminating with the recently completed National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area project (NIMH‐ECA). The NIMH‐ECA examined the prevalence of diagnosable (DSM III) Mental disorders in 5 U.S. communities utilizing a highly structured diagnostic interview, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Data from the Los Angeles ECA, one of five study sites are presented with particular emphasis on cross‐cultural comparison (Mexican Americans versus Non Hispanic Whites). Overall, there were only a few cross‐cultural differences in prevalence of specific diagnoses. Mexico‐born Mexican Americans showed a lower prevalence for most disorders examined than their U.S. born counterparts, and a subgroup of Mexican‐American women (those over the age of 40) showed higher rates of phobic and dysthymic disorders as well as a greater number of functional somatic symptoms than other groups.