Abstract

VICENTE, Benjamín et al. Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Latin America: A Critical Review. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2005, vol.34, n.4, pp.506-514. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction: The way in which research on psychiatric epidemiology has been conducted in Latin America has impaired results from being widely known; additionally, few comparative studies have been carried out. Objective: To compare and analyze the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Latin America. Methods: Review and comparison of Latin- American studies. Results: Third generation studies carried out within samples of the general population in Latin America note similar rates of mayor depression, with the exception of a study in Colombia. Higher rates of alcohol use or related disorders were observed in Colombia and in a study in Lima. Three studies conducted in the United States with hispanics consistently show higher rates of alcohol-related problems than those found in all the studies done in South America. The rate of anxiety disorders in Chile was found to be higher than that of mayor depression, a finding that is replicated in other south sub-region studies. the low rate of comorbidity in the chilean study is replicated in Mexico city. the rates of use of services in the united states, Mexico and Chile do no seem to differ significantly. Conclusions: Objective incapacity measurements and more precise analysis on the needs of use of services, medical comorbidity and prevalence of rates on serious mental illness are required.

Keywords : Bipolar disorder; migraine; comorbidity.

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