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Prevalence of psychiatric disorder and the need for psychiatric care in Northern Ireland

Population study in the District of Derry

Ross Thomson Unit, Causeway Hospital, Coleraine, Northern Ireland

PAUL BEBBINGTON, FRCPsych

Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London

ROY McCLELLAND, FRCPsych

School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast

KATE GILLESPIE, FRCPsych

Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital, Omagh, Northern Ireland

SHARON HOUGHTON, PhD

North Limerick Child Development Team, Limerick, Ireland

Correspondence: Dr Pamela McConnell, RossThomson Unit, Causeway Hospital, 4 Newbridge Road, Coleraine BT52 IHS, Northern Ireland

Declaration of interest None.

Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background This is the first report on the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and needs for psychiatric treatment in the District of Derry, Northern Ireland.

Aims To assess the prevalence of psychiatric disorder and the needs for treatment in the general population of Derry.

Method The sample was drawn at random with a two-phase design using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ—28) during the first phase, and the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) with the Needs for Care Assessment (NFCAS—C) in the second phase.

Results The second phase (n=307) gave a weighted 1-month prevalence of hierarchically ordered ICD—10 psychiatric disorders of 7.5% and a 1-year prevalence of 12.2%. The equivalent prevalences for depressive disorders were 2.4% and 6.0%, respectively, and those for anxiety states were 3.5% and 3.7%. Only a quarter of needs for treatment were met, with the situation being better for depression than for anxiety.

Conclusions The rates of psychiatric disorder in Derry were even higher than those reported by a similar survey in inner London. This almost certainly reflects the very high levels of social deprivation in the District. Needs for treatment were often unmet.

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