[Are mental disorders on the increase? A systematic review]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Public and psychiatric consensus suggests rising mental disorder rates since the 1950s, often attributed to social change.
• Existing psychiatric epidemiologic studies may lack the rigor to accurately assess trends in mental health disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the evidence for increasing rates of mental disorders.
• To determine if social change is a confirmed driver of rising mental health issues.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review was conducted using strict inclusion criteria.
• Studies analyzed identical samples at multiple time points with consistent designs.

Main Results:

• 44 papers met the inclusion criteria for the review.
• No consistent increasing trend was observed for general mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, addictions, or eating disorders.
• Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders also did not show an increasing trend.

Conclusions:

• The widely held belief of increasing mental disorder rates since the 1940s, linked to social change, is not supported by the reviewed evidence.
• Psychiatric epidemiology requires robust study designs to accurately assess mental health trends.