Psychiatric Disorder in a College Population

Recently a growing number of studies have made use of epidemiologic principles in the investigation of mental illness.²⁰,²³,²⁴,³⁵By identifying groups exhibiting a high risk for psychiatric disorder, and variables operating differentially within these groups, etiologic factors in various patterns of psychopathology can be elucidated.²³,²⁸ There has been a dearth of epidemiologic study in colleges,³¹yet the college population seems to afford unusual opportunities for investigation. This group represents a crucial period in the life cycle,⁸and encompasses many persons in whom our society has a large stake, as the source of its future leaders.¹⁷From the practical viewpoint, college students present a relatively homogeneous segment of the population, are engaged in a common task in a fairly uniform setting, and are available for research. This study reports the prevalence and incidence of psychiatric disturbance in a college population and