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The National Institute of Mental Health — Epidemiologic Catchment Area (NIMH-ECA) program

Background, preliminary findings and implications

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Conclusions

The ECA project is now beginning to report its preliminary findings regarding rates of disorders and risk factors. The specific rates are likely to change as criteria are refined and after data from individuals residing in institutional settings are analyzed.

These findings have implications for clinical practice, research methodology and public policy. Ultimately, it is hoped they will contribute to preventive efforts.

A significant result of the ECA study is the demonstration that it is possible to train lay interviewers to administer a sophisticated assessment instrument in a community survey, and to produce diagnostic equivalents very similar to those found in clinical studies.

Whatever the specific empirical findings of the ECA project to be reported in the future, it is clear that we have just entered a new era in psychiatric epidemiology.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical Center, New York, N. Y., USA

    Gerald L. Klerman

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  1. Gerald L. Klerman
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Klerman, G.L. The National Institute of Mental Health — Epidemiologic Catchment Area (NIMH-ECA) program. Soc Psychiatry 21, 159–166 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583995

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