A 5-year follow-up study in Iceland found a stable prevalence of mental disorders using health questionnaires, with an 8.5% remission rate and 6.7% incidence rate.
Stable prevalence signals persistent population mental health burden; leaves open drivers of remission and incidence in longitudinal cohorts.
In order to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in the general population by commonly used health questionnaires it is necessary to add some questions related to alcohol abuse. Even if this is done, the estimates are probably too low as the group not responding to questionnaires probably contains a larger proportion of mentally ill persons. In a 3.7% random sample of the population in Iceland aged 20–49 years the prevalence of mental disorders was estimated at approximately 20% by a health questionnaire with questions relating to alcohol abuse being added. The prevalence rate was highest in the youngest age group. The respondents in this sample have been approached again after a period of five years and asked to answer the same questionnaire. The overall prevalence rate was this time found to be similar, but slightly lower, while the prevalence rate in the youngest age group was significantly lower. The remission rate among the respondents in the follow‐up was 8.5% while the incidence over the five years was found to be 6.7%.
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Helgason et al. (1980) studied this question.
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