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Prevalence rates for the neuroses: pitfalls in the evaluation of familiality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Gregory Carey ,
Irving I. Gottesman  and
Eli Robins
Gregory Carey*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; and the Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Irving I. Gottesman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; and the Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Eli Robins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; and the Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr G. Carey, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Synopsis

A survey was made of studies reporting population prevalence rates for the different types of neurotic disorders in order to determine the utility of these rates for familial and genetic research. Rates varied considerably among studies both for all neuroses and for particular types of neuroses, even among studies using similar methods examining similar populations. The method of case ascertainment (personal interview versus record searches) and the threshold for defining an individual as affected are important contributors to variation. The use of the published prevalence rates for quantifying familial and genetic effects on the neurotic disorders would be premature.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , August 1980 , pp. 437 - 443
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

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