Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Prevalence of mental disorders and trends from 1996 to 2009. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To present prevalences of lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV mood, anxiety, substance use and impulse-control disorders from the second Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-2), and to compare the 12-month prevalence of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders with estimates from the first study (NEMESIS-1).

Method

Between November 2007 and July 2009, a nationally representative face-to-face survey was conducted using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 among 6,646 subjects aged 18–64. Trends in 12-month prevalence of mental disorders were examined with these data and NEMESIS-1 data from 1996 (n = 7,076).

Results

Lifetime prevalence estimates in NEMESIS-2 were 20.2% for mood, 19.6% for anxiety, 19.1% for substance use disorder and 9.2% for impulse-control disorder. For 12-month disorders, these figures were 6.1, 10.1, 5.6 and 2.1%, respectively. Between 1996 and 2007–2009, the 12-month prevalence of anxiety and substance use disorder did not change. The prevalence of mood disorder decreased slightly but lost significance after controlling for differences in sociodemographic variables between the two studies.

Conclusion

This study shows that in the Netherlands mental disorders are prevalent. In about a decade, no clear change in mental health status was found.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bijl RV, van Zessen G, Ravelli A, de Rijk C, Langendoen Y (1998) The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS): objectives and design. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33:581–586

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bijl RV, van Zessen G, Ravelli A (1998) Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the general population: results of the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33:587–595

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bijl RV, Ravelli A (2000) Psychiatric morbidity, service use, and need for care in the general population: results of the Netherlands Mental health Survey and Incidence study. Am J Public Health 90:602–607

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hutschemaekers G (2000) Wordt Nederland steeds zieker? (Is the Netherlands getting sicker?). Maandblad Geestelijke volksgezondheid 55:313–335

    Google Scholar 

  5. Landelijke Commissie Geestelijke Volksgezondheid (National Committee Mental Health) (2002) Zorg van velen (Care for a great many people). Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports

  6. Schoemaker C, ten Have M, Sytema S, Verhaak P (2007) Trends in de geestelijke volksgezondheid in Nederland (Trends in mental health in the Netherlands). Maandblad Geestelijke volksgezondheid 62:824–835

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kessler RC, Demler O, Frank RG et al (2005) Prevalence and treatment of mental disorders, 1990 to 2003. New Engl J Med 352:2515–2523

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Monshouwer K, Smit F, de Graaf R, van Os J, Vollebergh W (2005) First cannabis use: does onset shift to younger ages? Findings from 1988 to 2003 from the Dutch National School Survey on Substance Use. Addiction 100:963–970

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Monshouwer K (2008) Welcome to the house of fun. Epidemiological findings on alcohol and cannabis use among Dutch adolescents. Dissertation, University of Utrecht

  10. Tick NT, van der Ende J, Verhulst FC (2008) Ten-year trends in self-reported emotional and behavioral problems of Dutch adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 43:349–355

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. de Graaf R, Bijl RV, Spijker J, Beekman ATF, Vollebergh WAM (2003) Temporal sequencing of lifetime mood disorders in relation to comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders: findings from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 38:1–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Brugha TS, Bebbington PE, Singleton N et al (2004) Trends in service use and treatment for mental disorders in adults throughout Great Britain. Br J Psychiatry 185:378–384

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE (2005) Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62:617–627

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Slade T, Johnston A, Oakley Browne MA, Andrews G, Whiteford H (2009) 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: methods and findings. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 43:594–605

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Compton WM, Conway KP, Stinson FS, Grant BF (2006) Changes in the prevalence of major depression and comorbid substance use disorders in the United States between 1991–1992 and 2001–2002. Am J Psychiatry 163:2141–2147

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Stoop IAL (2005) The hunt for the last respondent. Nonresponse in sample surveys. Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands

  17. Galea S, Tracey M (2007) Participation rates in epidemiologic studies. Ann Epidemiol 17:643–653

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. de Graaf R, ten Have M, van Dorsselaer S (2010) The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 (NEMESIS-2): design and methods. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 193:125–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kessler RC, Üstün TB (2004) The World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative Version of the World Health Organization ((WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 13:93–121

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Alonso J, Angermeyer M, Bernert S et al (2004) Sampling and methods of the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project. Acta Psychiatr Scand 109(Suppl 420):8–20

    Google Scholar 

  21. de Graaf R, Ormel J, ten Have M, Burger H, Buist-Bouwman M (2008) Mental disorders and service use in The Netherlands. Results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD). In: Kessler RC, Üstün TB (eds) The WHO World Mental Health Surveys: global perspectives on the epidemiology of mental disorders. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 388–405

    Google Scholar 

  22. Haro JM, Arbabzadeh-Bouchez S, Brugha TS et al (2006) Concordance of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 (CIDI 3.0) with standardized clinical assessments in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 15:167–180

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Andrews G, Peters L (1998) The psychometric properties of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33:80–88

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wittchen HU (1994) Reliability and validity studies of the WHO-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI): a critical review. J Psychiatr Res 28:57–84

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Kessler RC, Angermeyer M, Anthony JC et al (2007) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Surveys. World Psychiatry 6:168–176

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Robins LN, Cottler L, Bucholz K, Compton W (1995) Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV. Washington University

  27. DuPaul GJ, Power TJ, Anastopoulos AD, Reid R (1998) ADHD Rating Scale—IV: checklists, norms and clinical interpretation. Guilford

  28. Fayyad J, de Graaf R, Kessler R et al (2007) The cross-national prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Br J Psychiatry 190:402–409

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Lenzenweger MF, Lane MC, Loranger AW, Kessler RC (2007) DSM-IV personality disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biol Psychiatry 62:553–564

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Huang Y, Kotov R, de Girolamo G et al (2009) DSM-IV Personality disorders in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. Br J Psychiatry 195:46–53

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Ware JE, Sherbourne CD (1992) The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36): I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care 30:473–483

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Blazer DG, Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Swartz MS (1994) The prevalence and distribution of major depression in a national community sample: the National Comorbidity Survey. Am J Psychiatry 151:979–986

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Taylor A et al (2010) How common are common mental disorders? Evidence that lifetime prevalence rates are doubled by prospective versus retrospective ascertainment. Psychol Med 40:899–909

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Patten SB (2009) Accumulation of major depressive episodes over time in a prospective study indicates that retrospectively assessed lifetime prevalence estimates are too low. BMC Psychiatry 9:1471–244X

    Google Scholar 

  35. Eaton WW, Anthony JC, Tepper S, Dryman A (1992) Psychopathology and attrition in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Am J Epidemiol 35:1051–1059

    Google Scholar 

  36. Allgulander C (1989) Psychoactive drug use in a general population sample, Sweden: correlates with perceived health, psychiatric diagnoses, and mortality in an automated record-linkage study. Am J Public Health 79:1006–1010

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. de Graaf R, Bijl RV, Smit F, Ravelli A, Vollebergh WAM (2000) Psychiatric and sociodemographic predictors of attrition in a longitudinal study. The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Am J Epidemiol 152:1039–1047

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Turner CF, Ku L, Rogers SM, Lindberg LD, Pleck JH, Sonenstein FL (1998) Adolescent sexual behavior, drug use, and violence: increased reporting with computer survey technology. Science 280:867–873

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Lara C, Fayyad J, de Graaf R et al (2009) Childhood predictors of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: results from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Biol Psychiatry 65:46–54

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Lépine JP, Lellouch J, Lovell A et al (1989) Anxiety and depressive disorders in a French population: methodology and preliminary results. Psychiatr Psychobiol 4:267–274

    Google Scholar 

  41. WHO (2000) International Consortium in Psychiatric Epidemiology. Cross-national comparisons of the prevalences and correlates of mental disorders. Bull World Health Organ 78:413–426

    Google Scholar 

  42. The WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium (2004) Prevalence, severity and unmet need for treatment of mental disorders in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. JAMA 291:2581–2590

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Poelen EAP, Scholte RHJ, Engels RCME, Boomsma DI, Willemsen G (2005) Prevalence and trends of alcohol use and misuse among adolescents and young adults in the Netherlands from 1993 to 2000. Drug Alcohol Depend 79:413–421

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Peen J, Dekker J, Schoevers RA, ten Have M, de Graaf R, Beekman AT (2007) Is the prevalence of psychiatric disorders associated with urbanization? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42:984–989

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. de Graaf R, ten Have M, van Dorsselaer S (2010) De psychische gezondheid van de Nederlandse bevolking. NEMESIS-2: Opzet en eerste resultaten. [The mental health status of the Dutch general population. NEMESIS-2: Design and results.] Utrecht: Trimbos-instituut [Netherlands institute of Mental Health and Addiction]

  46. Andrews G, Issakidis C, Carter G (2001) Shortfall in mental health service utilisation. Br J Psychiatry 179:417–435

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Burgess PM, Pirkis JE, Slade TN, Johnston AK, Meadows GN, Gunn JM (2009) Service use for mental health problems: findings from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 43:615–623

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Jenkins R, Lewis G, Bebbington P, Brugha T, Farrell M, Gill B, Meltzer H (1997) The National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys of Great Britain–initial findings from the Household Survey. Psychol Med 27:775–789

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Wang PS, Demier O, Olfson M, Pincus HA, Wells KB, Kessler RC (2006) Changing profiles of service sectors used for mental health care in the United States. Am J Psychiatry 163:1187–1198

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Alegria M, Bijl RV, Lin E, Walters EE, Kessler RC (2000) Income differences in persons seeking outpatient treatment for mental disorders. A comparison of the United States with Ontario and the Netherlands. Arch Gen Psychiatry 57:383–391

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 (NEMESIS-2) is conducted by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction (Trimbos Institute) in Utrecht. Financial support has been received from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, with supplement support from the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and the Genetic Risk and Outcome of Psychosis (GROUP) investigators. We thank the staff of the World Mental Health Data Collection and Data Analysis Coordination Centres for assistance with instrumentation, and consultation on data analyses (prof Ronald Kessler, Nancy Sampson, Alison Hoffnagle, Nicholos Allis). We thank the external (prof Paul Schnabel (chair), prof Aartjan Beekman, prof Jozien Bensing, prof Wim van den Brink, Wim Brunenberg, prof Hans van Oers, prof Hans Ormel and Mady Samuels) and internal advisory committee (Margriet van Laar, prof Filip Smit and Jan Walburg) for their contribution to the study.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ron de Graaf.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Graaf, R., ten Have, M., van Gool, C. et al. Prevalence of mental disorders and trends from 1996 to 2009. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 . Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 203–213 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0334-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0334-8

Keywords

Navigation