Prevalence of Mental Disorders, Health-related Quality of Life, and Service Utilization across the Adult Life Span

Summary Mental disorders are widely common and are associated with various costs, both for the individual and for society. DEGS1-MH is the mental-health module of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey (DEGS1) and offers representative data on mental health in Germany. The present paper presents data on 12-month prevalence of mental disorders according to DSM-IV-TR, mental and physical health-related quality of life, and self-reported service utilization due to mental health problems across the adult life span (age 18-79 in six age groups). With 37.7%, young adults (age 18-29) show the highest 12-month prevalence and lowest self-reported mental health-related quality of life. In contrast, the group of older adults (age 60-79) show the lowest 12-month prevalence (19.7%) and report highest mental health-related quality of life. In subjects with mental disorders, physical health-related quality of life is impaired as well, however, particularly in older age groups. Both young and older adults with a 12-month diagnosis use health-related service due to mental problems only very rarely.