[Prevalence of mental disorders, and trends from 1996 to 2009. Results from NEMESIS-2]

Little is known about the prevalence and trends of mental disorders in the Dutch population.

To present the prevalences of lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders and impulse-control disorders reported in NEMESIS-2 (Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study), and to compare the 12-month prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders and substance use disorders with estimates from the first study (NEMESIS-1).

Between November 2007 and July 2009, face-to-face interviews were conducted among 6646 subjects aged 18-64 by means of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Trends in mental disorders were examined with these data and NEMESIS-1 data from 1996 (n = 7076).

The lifetime prevalence in NEMESIS-2 was 20.2% for mood disorder, 19.6% for anxiety disorder, 19.1% for substance use disorder and 9.2% for impulse-control or behaviour disorder. For the 12-month disorders, the prevalences were 6.1%, 10.1%, 5.6% and 2.1%, respectively. Between 1996 and 2007-2009, there was no change in the 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorder and substance use disorder. The 12-month prevalence of mood disorder decreased slightly but was no longer significant after differences in the sociodemographic variables between the two studies had been taken into account.

This study shows that in the Netherlands mental disorders occur fairly frequently. Over about a decade, no clear change was found in the mental health status of the population.