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Cited by 403Mental Health Treatment and AccessAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

CHALLENGING THE MYTH OF AN “EPIDEMIC” OF COMMON MENTAL DISORDERS: TRENDS IN THE GLOBAL PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION BETWEEN 1990 AND 2010: Research Article: Challenging Myths of a Mental Disorder Epidemic

Baxter, Amanda J., Scott, Kate M., Ferrari, Alize J., Norman, Rosana E., Vos, Theo, Whiteford, Harvey A.·2014·Depression and Anxiety
DOI 10.1002/da.22230
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder (MDD) are common and disabling mental disorders. This paper aims to test the hypothesis that common mental disorders have become more prevalent over the past two decades. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of prevalence, remission, duration, and excess mortality studies for anxiety disorders and MDD and then used a Bayesian meta-regression approach to estimate point prevalence for 1990, 2005, and 2010. We also conducted a post-hoc search for studies that used the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) as a measure of psychological distress and tested for trends to present a qualitative comparison of study findings RESULTS: This study found no evidence for an increased prevalence of anxiety disorders or MDD. While the crude number of cases increased by 36%, this was explained by population growth and changing age structures. Point prevalence of anxiety disorders was estimated at 3.8% (3.6-4.1%) in 1990 and 4.0% (3.7-4.2%) in 2010. The prevalence of MDD was unchanged at 4.4% in 1990 (4.2-4.7%) and 2010 (4.1-4.7%). However, 8 of the 11 GHQ studies found a significant increase in psychological distress over time. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived "epidemic" of common mental disorders is most likely explained by the increasing numbers of affected patients driven by increasing population sizes. Additional factors that may explain this perception include the higher rates of psychological distress as measured using symptom checklists, greater public awareness, and the use of terms such as anxiety and depression in a context where they do not represent clinical disorders.

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Authors
Baxter, A. J., Scott, K. M., Ferrari, A. J., Norman, R. E., Vos, T., & Whiteford, H. A.
Affiliations
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • University of Otago (NZ)
Corresponding author
Baxter, Amanda J.
ORCID
Venue
Depression and Anxiety
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2014-01-21
Volume
31
Issue
6
Pages
506-516
ISSN
1091-4269 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1002/da.22230
OpenAlex
W1480916087
Cited by
403
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 7
FWCI
2.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm, 588 d)
Locations
  • Depression and Anxiety (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • Faculty of Health; Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, common mental disorders, prevalence trends, point prevalence, psychological distress, General Health Questionnaire, excess mortality, remission, population growth, age structure
MeSH terms
Anxiety Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Global Health, Prevalence

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