Life Science Encyclopedia

The National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) was the first large-scale field survey of mental health in the United States. Conducted from 1990-1992, disorders were assessed based on the diagnostic criteria of the then-most current DSM manual, the DSM-III-R (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised).[1] The study has had large-scale implications on mental health research in the United States, as no widespread data on the prevelence of mental illness was previously available.

Most notable findings

-The lifetime prevalence of at least 1 mental disorder: 48%

-12 month prevalence of at least 1 mental disorder: 29%

-Comorbidity: Of the people who experience mental illness in their lifetime (48% of pop), 27% will experience more than one. The resulting average is 2.1 mental disorders per (disordered) person.

-Only 40% of people who had ever had a disorder received professional treatment.

-Only 20% of people who had a disorder within the past year received professional help.

External links

• http://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/index.php
• http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/qanda_ncs-r.cfm
• http://webapp.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/SAMHDA-STUDY/06693.xml