Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T02:17:52.477Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Prevalence of Mental Disorder among young adults in Ireland: a population based study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2015

M. E. Harley ,
D. Connor ,
M. C. Clarke ,
I. Kelleher ,
H. Coughlan Open the ORCID record for H. Coughlan [Opens in a new window] ,
F. Lynch ,
C. Fitzpatrick  and
M. Cannon
M. E. Harley*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland St Michael’s House, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9, Ireland
D. Connor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland
M. C. Clarke
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
I. Kelleher
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
H. Coughlan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
F. Lynch
Affiliation:
Lucena Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Exchange Hall, Belgard Square North, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland
C. Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
M. Cannon
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin
*
*Address for correspondence: M. E. Harley, Department of Psychaitry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, Ireland. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

There is a lack of epidemiological research on the mental health of young adults in Ireland.

Objectives

To determine prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a cohort of young Irish adults.

Methods

The Challenging Times study was a landmark study of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in adolescents in North Dublin, Ireland: 212 school children aged 12-15 years were recruited through schools and interviewed using the K-SADS semi-structured diagnostic instrument. This cohort was traced again at age 19-24 years (mean age 20.8 years) and interviewed using SCID I & II. Main outcome measures were current and lifetime Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders.

Results

Follow-up rate was 80%. Using a weighted population prevalence analysis 19.8% of the cohort had a current mental disorder, 56.0% had a lifetime mental disorder of whom 28.4% had mood disorders, 27.1% had anxiety disorders, 22.7% had substance use disorders; 25.4% had lifetime multi-morbidity. Cluster A personality disorders were found in 2.3%. Lifetime prevalence of binge-drinking was 75.0%, cannabis use 65% and 17% of young adults had fulfilled criteria for an alcohol use disorder at sometime in their life. Lifetime prevalence of suicidal thoughts/behaviour was 21.1%.

Conclusions

Lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorder and substance use were high in this sample of young Irish adults. Mental Health service provision for this age group is a priority. Larger studies of nationally representative samples are needed to inform service development.

Keywords

Prevalenceepidemiologymental disordersyouthIreland
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 32 , Issue 1: Special Issue: Youth Mental Health , March 2015 , pp. 79 - 91
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, TM, Rescorla, LA (2003). Manual for the ASEBA Adult Forms & Profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families: Burlington, VT.Google Scholar
APA (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Ayuso-Mateos, JL, Vazquez-Barquero, JL, Dowrick, C, Lehtinen, V, Dalgard, OS, Casey, P, Wilkinson, C, Lasa, L, Page, H, Dunn, G, Wilkinson, G (2001). Depressive disorders in Europe: prevalence figures from the ODIN study. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science 179, 308–316.Google Scholar
Barry, M, Van Lente, E, Molcho, M, Morgan, K, et al. (2009). SLAN 2007: Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition in Ireland, Mental Health and Social Well-Being Report. Department of Health and Children: Dublin.Google Scholar
Beck, AT, Kovacs, M, Weissman, A (1979). Assessment of suicidal intention: the scale for suicide ideation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 47, 343–352.Google Scholar
Bhaumik, S, Tyrer, FC, Mc Grother, CS, Ganghadaran, K (2008). Psychiatric service use and psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research: JIDR 52, 986–995.Google Scholar
Bijl, RV, Ravelli, A, van Zessen, G (1998). Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the general population: results of The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 33, 587–595.Google Scholar
Brugha, T, Bebbington, P, et al. (1999). A difference that matter: comparisons of structured and semi-structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews in the general population. Psychological Medicine 29, 1013–1020.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bunting, BP, Murphy, SD, O’Neill, SM, Ferry, FR (2012). Lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders and delay in treatment following initial onset: evidence from the Northern Ireland Study of Health and Stress. Psychological Medicine 42, 1727–1739.Google Scholar
Coid, J, Yang, M, Tyrer, P, Roberts, A, Ullrich, S (2006). Prevalence and correlates of personality disorder in Great Britain. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science 188, 423–431.Google Scholar
Census of Population (1996), The Irish Social Class Scale, Vol. 6. Dublin: Government Publications.Google Scholar
CSO (2011). Ireland Population Census 2011. Central Statistics Office: Dublin.Google Scholar
Dooley, B, Fitzgerald, A (2013). Methodology on the My World Survey (MWS): a unique window into the world of adolescents in Ireland. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 7, 12–22.Google Scholar
Fairburn, CG, Beglin, SJ (1990). Studies of the epidemiology of bulimia nervosa. The American Journal of Psychiatry 147, 401–408.Google Scholar
Fergusson, DM, Horwood, JL (2001). The Christchurch Health and Development Study: review of findings on child and adolescent mental health. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 35, 287–296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
First, M, Gibbon, M, Spitzer, RL, Williams, JBW, Benjamin, LS (1997). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders, (SCID-II). American Psychiatric Press, Inc.: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
First, MB, Spitzer, RL, Gibbon, M, Williams, JBW (2002). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Non-Patient Edition. (SCID-I/NP). Biometrics Research, New York State Psychiatric Institute: New York, NY.Google Scholar
Gibb, S, Fegusson, DM, et al. (2010). Burden of psychiatric disorder in young adulthood and life outcomes at age 30. British Journal of Psychiatry 197, 122–127.Google Scholar
Goodman, R, Ford, T, Simmons, R. Gatward, Meltzer, H (2000). Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to screen for child psychiatric disorders in a community sample. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science 177, 534–539.Google Scholar
Grant, BF, Hasin, DS, Stinson, FS, Dawson, DA, Chou, SP, Ruan, WJ, Pickering, RP (2004). Prevalence, correlates, and disability of personality disorders in the United States: results from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 65, 948–958.Google Scholar
Harley, M, Kelleher, I, Clarke, M, Lynch, F, Arseneault, L, Connor, D, Fitzpatrick, C, Cannon, M (2010). Cannabis use and childhood trauma interact additively to increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in adolescence. Psychological Medicine 40, 1627–1634.Google Scholar
Hoek, HW, van Hoeken, D (2003). Review of the prevalence and incidence of eating disorders. The International Journal of Eating Disorders 34, 383–396.Google Scholar
Jaffee, SR, Moffitt, TE, Caspi, E. Fombonne, Poulton, R, Martin, J (2002). Differences in early childhood risk factors for juvenile-onset and adult-onset depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 59, 215–222.Google Scholar
Kaufman, J, Birmaher, B, Brent, D, Rao, U, Flynn, C, Moreci, P, Williamson, D, Ryan, N (1997). Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL): initial reliability and validity data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36, 980–988.Google Scholar
Kelleher, I, Harley, M, Lynch, F, Arseneault, L, Fitzpatrick, C, Cannon, M (2008). Associations between childhood trauma, bullying and psychotic symptoms among a school-based adolescent sample. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science 193, 378–382.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Angermeyer, M, et al. (2007). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association 6, 168–176.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Berglund, P, Anthony, JC, Demyttenaere, DEGRK, Gasquet, I, Gluzman, DEGGS, Gureje, O, Haro, JM, Kawakami, N, Karam, A, Levinson, D, Medina Mora, ME, Oakley Browne, MA, Posada-Villa, J, Stein, DJ, Adley Tsang, CH, Aguilar-Gaxiola, S, Alonso, J, Lee, S, Heeringa, S, Pennell, P, Berglund, P, Gruber, MJ, Petukhova, M, Chatterji, S, Ustun, TB (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 593–602.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, McGonagle, KA, et al. (1994). Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States. Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry 51, 8–19.Google Scholar
Kim-Cohen, J, Caspi, A, Moffitt, TE, Harrington, H, Milne, BJ, Poulton, R (2003). Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder: developmental follow-back of a prospective-longitudinal cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry 60, 709–717.Google Scholar
Kline, E, Wilson, C, Ereschefsky, S, et al. (2012). Psychosis risk screening in youth: a validation study of three self-report measures of attenuated psychosis symptoms. Schizophrenia Research 141, 72–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovacs, M (1992). Children’s Depression Inventory. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.Google Scholar
Lobbestael, J, Leurgans, M, Arntz, A (2011). Inter-rater reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID I) and Axis II Disorders (SCID II). Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 18, 75–79.Google Scholar
Lynch, F, Mills, C, Daly, I, Fitzpatrick, C (2004). Challenging Times: a study to detect Irish adolescents at risk of psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation. Journal of Adolescence 27, 441–451.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lynch, F, Mills, C, Daly, I, Fitzpatrick, C (2006). Challenging Times: prevalence of psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviours in Irish adolescents. Journal of Adolescence 29, 555–573.Google Scholar
Machado, PP, Machado, BC, Goncalves, S, Hoek, HW (2007). The prevalence of eating disorders not otherwise specified. The International Journal of Eating Disorders 40, 212–217.Google Scholar
McConnell, P, Bebbington, P, McClelland, K, Gillespie, S, Houghton, S (2002). Prevalence of psychiatric disorder and the need for psychiatric care in Northern Ireland. Population study in the District of Derry. The British Journal of Psychiatry: The Journal of Mental Science 181, 214–219.Google Scholar
McGorry, P, Bates, T, Birchwood, M (2013). Designing youth mental health services for the 21st century: examples from Australia, Ireland and the UK. The British Journal of Psychiatry 202 (Suppl. 54): s30–s35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McManus, S, Meltzer, H, Brugha, T, et al. (2009). Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007: Results of a Household Survey. The Health & Social Care Information Centre, NHS.Google Scholar
McNicolas, F, Dooley, B, Keogh, L, Lydon, A, Lennon, R, Ahern, S, Coyle, C, Whelan, A, Donoghue, LO (2012). Eating problems in Irish children and adolescence – EPICA. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine 27, 172–178.Google Scholar
Mental Health Commission (2011). The Human Cost – An Overview of the Evidence On Economic Adversity and Mental Health and Recommendations for Action. Mental Health Commission.Google Scholar
Miller, TJ, Cicchetti, D, Markovich, PJ, Mc Glashan, TH, Woods, SW (2004). The SIPS screen: a brief self-report screen to detect the schizophrenia prodrome. ."" Schizophrenia Research 70 (Suppl. 1): p. 78.Google Scholar
Moffitt, TE, Caspi, A, Taylor, J. Kokaua, Milne, BJ, Polanczyk, G, Poulton, R (2010). How common are common mental disorders? Evidence that lifetime prevalence rates are doubled by prospective versus retrospective ascertainment. Psychological Medicine 40, 899–909.Google Scholar
Moran, P, Coffey, C, Mann, A, Carlin, JB, Patton, GC (2006). Dimensional characteristics of DSM-IV personality disorders in a large epidemiological sample. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 113, 3.Google Scholar
National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) (2011). Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland. First Results from the 2010/2011 Drug Prevalence Survey. National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) and Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB): Dublin and Belfast.Google Scholar
Newman, DL, Moffitt, TE, Caspi, L. Magdol, Silva, PA, Stanton, WR (1996). Psychiatric disorder in a birth cohort of young adults: prevalence, comorbidity, clinical significance, and new case incidence from ages 11 to 21. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 64, 552–562.Google Scholar
Patel, V, Flisher, AJ, et al. (2007). Mental health of young people: a global public-health challenge. Lancet 369, 1302–1313.Google Scholar
Population., C.o. (1996). The Irish Social Class Scale, Government Publications, Dublin, vol. 6.Google Scholar
Ramstedt, M, Hope, A (2003). The Irish Drinking Culture. Department of Health and Children.Google Scholar
Robins, LN, Regier, DA (1991). Psychiatric Disorders in America: The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. The Free Press: New York.Google Scholar
Torgersen, S, Kringlen, E, et al. (2004). The prevalence of personality disorders in a community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry 58, 590–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viner, RM, Taylor, B (2007). Adult outcomes of binge drinking in adolescence: findings from a UK national birth cohort. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 61, 902–907.Google Scholar
Wittchen, HU, Nelson, CB, Lachner, G (1998). Prevalence of mental disorders and psychosocial impairments in adolescents and young adults. Psychological Medicine 28, 109–126.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed