Three-Year Physician Treated Prevalence Rate of Mental Disorders in Alberta

Abstract

N umerous different methods are used to estimate people with mental health needs within a given population. These methods include reviewing local, national, and international literature; using expert opinions; consulting with agencies, service providers, and consumers; epidemiologic studies, and service use data. The Canadian Community Health Survey is a populationbased epidemiologic survey. 1 In 2002, about 32 000 Canadians were surveyed about their mental health symptoms and treatment. A survey of this type provides the advantage of obtaining individual perspectives regarding the problems experienced, and does not rely on clinical records

A Novel Population-Based Health Index for Mental Disorder

“…The 9-year cumulative rate of ICD psychiatric disorders in an independent sample from the same population base was 46%. 1 Compared with an independent population study of the 1-, 2-, and 3-year provincial rates of psychiatric disorder from physician billing data in Alberta, 5 the 16-year rate of 53.5% observed in the present study sample indicates that the rate of psychiatric disturbance in the population is logistically stable and represents an epidemic proportion. Imagine if half the population had HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) or influenza.…”

“…The first of these samples spanned 9 years, 1 and the second sample (described here) spanned 16 years. Compared with a provincial study 5 examining the 1-, 2-, and 3-year prevalence of psychiatric disorder, the 9-year prevalence and 16-year prevalence create a perfect logistic function saturating at 53% of the population. A logistic growth curve may still represent a process that is flawed.…”

Les problèmes de santé mentale sont-ils détectés par les omnipraticiens ? Regard sur la perspective des omnipraticiens selon les banques de données administratives

“…Il faut souligner une stabilité des taux observés sur des périodes d'observation plus longues, et c'est cette statistique que nous avons enregistrée au Québec entre 2002 et 2006 . Par ailleurs, des chercheurs de la Colombie-Britannique et du Manitoba (Hamdi et al, 1998 ;Martens et al, 2004 ;Slomp et al, 2009) ont analysé des périodes d'observation consécutives de 3 à 5 ans plutôt qu'un an. C'est près de 35 % de la population qui a été identifiée comme ayant un trouble mental par un médecin de ces provinces.…”

Supported Self-Management: A Simple, Effective Way to Improve Depression Care

“…In both Alberta and British Columbia, service use studies found the largest proportion of patients with depression seen by family physicians received only a single session per year and only a very small proportion received extended follow-up. 13,14 Most primary care physicians receive little training in the delivery of behavioural interventions for mental health problems. SSM has the potential to improve primary care for people with depression, enhancing the role of family physicians in the delivery of services within realistic time constraints and promoting the active engagement of people in recovery and prevention of future episodes.…”