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Starting out by tracing the brief history of psychiatric epidemiology, this text describes the study of risk factors as causes of mental disorders. Subsequent sections discuss approaches to investigation of biologic, genetic or social causes and the statistical analysis of study results.

18 Life course approaches to the genetic epidemiology of mental illness19 Impact of early environmental exposures on mental disorders across the life course; 20 Role of the social environmental over the life course in the aetiology of psychiatric disorders; 21 Social context and mental health over the life course; 22 Epigenetic influences on mental illness over the life course; 23 Adverse childhood experiences and brain development: neurobiological mechanisms linking the social environment to psychiatric disorders; 24 Social-biological interplay over the life course.

Objectives:During the first peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, we investigated the impact of digital interventions to reduce COVID-19 related fear, loneliness, and public stigma.Methods:We recruited and randomly assigned 988 United States residents to: 1) no intervention 2) informational sheet to learn about COVID-19, 3) (2) AND video encouraging digital social activity, 4) (2) AND video sensitizing to COVID-19 related stigma (registered in Clinicaltrials.gov). Surveys were conducted between April 2-16, 2020. We employed generalized linear mixed models to investigate intervention effects.Results:10% of the participants reported not being afraid of people COVID-19+ and 32% reported not feeling lonely. Stigma and fear items reflected acute worries about the outbreak. Relative to the informational sheet only group, video groups led to greater reduction in perceptions of fear towards COVID-19+ (ORvideo.solo = 0.78, p-val<0.001; ORvideo.friend = 0.79, p-val<0.001) and of stigma (BETAvideo.solo = −0.50, p-val<0.001; BETAvideo.friend = −0.69, p-val<0.001).Conclusion:Video-based interventions lead to reductions in COVID-19-related fear and stigma. No difference in social activity among groups was found, potentially explaining lack of efficacy on loneliness.

AbstractLittle is known about the economic impact of disability grants for people living with schizophrenia in low- and middle- income countries. In this brief report, we show that receipt of disability benefits is significantly associated (β = 0.105, p < 0.0001) with increased household and personal wealth in large sample of people living with schizophrenia in South Africa (n = 1154). This study provides further support for the use of disability grants as a mechanism to protect people living with schizophrenia and their families against the economic costs associated with schizophrenia.

The first comprehensive, epidemiological overview of schizophrenia, drawing together the findings from social, genetic, developmental and classical epidemiology. Controversial issues on its nature and cause are explored in depth, and separate chapters are devoted to suicide, violence and substance abuse, new prospects for treatment, and prevention

This qualitative ethnographic study complements an epidemiological study on first episode psychosis in Vulindlela, a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It focuses on two themes that emerged from our data: (1) the calling of the ancestors to become a traditional health practitioner and (2) ukuthwasa, the training to become a traditional health practitioner. The purpose of this study is to describe the ancestral calling, and to explore whether ukuthwasa may help with the management of mental disturbances, including unusual perceptual experiences. We also provide a discussion of the changing sociopolitical context of healing in KwaZulu-Natal, as a background to our study. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 (apprentice) traditional health practitioners, formal health practitioners, patients and relatives recruited through local traditional health practitioners and a health care clinic. Our results show that the ancestral calling might announce itself with symptoms of mental illness including unusual perceptual experiences, for which some participants consider ukuthwasa as the only effective cure. We found indications that in some individuals successful completion of ukuthwasa might promote recovery from their illness and lead to a profession in which the unusual perceptual experiences become a legitimate and positively valued aspect. We suggest that – in this particular community today, which has been subject to several sociopolitical changes – ukuthwasa may be a culturally sanctioned healing process which moderates experiences that a Western psychiatric system might characterize as psychotic symptoms, providing some individuals with a lucrative and respected role in society.

Objective To estimate the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among adults seeking care in primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, Argentina. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of a random sample of adults 18-69 years of age seeking care for general health problems in public (i.e., government-funded) primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, Argentina in 2010-2011. Mood and anxiety disorders were assessed in the participants' lifetime, and in the last 12 months and 30 days using the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0, and defined following the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision. Results Overall, 1,067 participants were included in the current analysis [mean age 35.6 (SD 13.2) years, 83.7% female]. The lifetime, 12-month and 30-day prevalence of any mood or anxiety disorder was 40.4% [95% confidence interval (95%CI) 37.4-43.4%], 20.1% (17.8-22.7%) and 7.8% (6.2-9.6%), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety disorders was higher compared to mood disorders when assessed in the participants' lifetime [29.7% (95%CI 27.0-32.5%) versus 19.3% (17.0-21.8%)], and in the last 12 months [14.9% (12.8-17.2%) versus 8.7% (7.1-10.6%)] and 30 days [5.8% (4.5-7.4%) versus 2.3% (1.5-3.4%)]. Age and marital status-adjusted odds ratios for any mood or anxiety disorder in the participants' lifetime and in the last 12 months and 30 days comparing women versus men were 1.19 (95%CI 0.85-1.67), 1.70 (1.07-2.69), and 2.26 (1.02-5.00), respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders is high among adults seeking care in primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, particularly among women. Integration of primary and mental health services is warranted. ; Facultad de Ciencias Medicas de la Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina (PROMED) Florencio Fiorini Foundation, Argentine Academy of Medicine

This study examined the quality of family relationships and its associations with the severity of unmet needs of individuals admitted to a tertiary psychiatric hospital in South Africa. The quality of family relations and perceived unmet needs were assessed using the Lehman Quality of Life Interview and Camberwell Assessment of Needs, respectively. The results show that higher total unmet needs were associated with lower quality of family relations. The main areas of serious unmet needs included accessing government benefits and information, and establishing social relations. The results have implications for hospital-based social workers beyond managing psychiatric symptoms in South Africa.

Considerable controversy surrounds the role of traditional health practitioners (THP) as first contact service providers and their influence on the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined first-contact patterns and pathways to psychiatric care among individuals with severe mental illness in South Africa. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a referral-based tertiary psychiatric government hospital in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Information on pathways to care was collected using the World Health Organization's Encounter Form. General hospital was the most common first point of contact after mental disorder symptom onset and the strongest link to subsequent psychiatric treatment. Family members were the most common initiators in seeking care. First contact with THP was associated with longer DUP and higher number of provider contacts in the pathway based on adjusted regression analyses. Strengthening connections between psychiatric and general hospitals, and provision of culturally-competent family-based psychoeducation to reduce DUP are warranted.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among adults seeking care in primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, Argentina. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of a random sample of adults 18–69 years of age seeking care for general health problems in public (i.e., government-funded) primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, Argentina in 2010–2011. Mood and anxiety disorders were assessed in the participants' lifetime, and in the last 12 months and 30 days using the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0, and defined following the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision. RESULTS: Overall, 1,067 participants were included in the current analysis [mean age 35.6 (SD 13.2) years, 83.7% female]. The lifetime, 12-month and 30-day prevalence of any mood or anxiety disorder was 40.4% [95% confidence interval (95%CI) 37.4–43.4%], 20.1% (17.8–22.7%) and 7.8% (6.2–9.6%), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety disorders was higher compared to mood disorders when assessed in the participants' lifetime [29.7% (95%CI 27.0–32.5%) versus 19.3% (17.0–21.8%)], and in the last 12 months [14.9% (12.8–17.2%) versus 8.7% (7.1–10.6%)] and 30 days [5.8% (4.5–7.4%) versus 2.3% (1.5–3.4%)]. Age and marital status-adjusted odds ratios for any mood or anxiety disorder in the participants' lifetime and in the last 12 months and 30 days comparing women versus men were 1.19 (95%CI 0.85–1.67), 1.70 (1.07–2.69), and 2.26 (1.02–5.00), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders is high among adults seeking care in primary healthcare centers in Cordoba city, particularly among women. Integration of primary and mental health services is warranted.