Epidemiology of affective disorders in Florence

A structured interview designed to detect affective disorders according to operational diagnostic criteria was administered to a representative sample of 639 people living in Florence. The 1 year prevalence percent was 1.7 for bipolar disorder, 0.31 for atypical bipolar disorder, 5.2 for major depression, 1.4 for cyclothymic disorder, 2.3 for dysthymic disorder (all diagnosed according to DSM III criteria) and 4.5 for minor depression (RDC criteria). The corresponding figures relative to the point prevalence were: 0.6, 0.16, 3.8, 0.47, 1.2, 0.31. The use of care services on the part of affective cases (none, GP, public psychiatric facilities, private psychiatrist, hospital) was also recorded.