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Epidemiology of Psychiatric Disorders

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Abstract

This chapter reviews the basic principles of epidemiology and the most important results of epidemiologic research in the field of psychiatry over the past century. Critical concepts of measurement include the definition of prevalence and incidence, as assessed through systems of health surveillance, as well as population-based surveys. Essential concepts for organizing the results of psychiatric epidemiology include the burden of disorders, the life course framework, the study of risk factors, and the study of psychiatric and physical comorbidity. The chapter includes references to a wide range of psychiatric disorders, but the concepts of epidemiology are best represented by research on schizophrenia and depressive disorder, in part because these are the two most important disorders, and in part, because the literature is richest on these disorders.

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  1. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    William W. Eaton

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  1. Cedars-Sinai Health System, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Waguih William IsHak

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Eaton, W.W. (2023). Epidemiology of Psychiatric Disorders. In: IsHak, W.W. (eds) Atlas of Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15401-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15401-0_2

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