[Psychiatric diseases in a small Alpine area--an epidemiologic field study]

Studies concerning the distribution of psychiatric diseases within a defined population are of fundamental importance for clinical psychiatry, public health projects and the development of strategies for mental health care. Each of the 1.337 inhabitants of an Alpine valley was psychiatrically recorded within a seven years period. The outcome of the presented field study carried out in a rural Tyrolean region reflects the real psychiatric morbidity. The primary and secondary data collecting indicated relevant psychopathological symptoms in 22,8 percent of the population of this small Alpine area. The given data are terms of reference for the planning of mental health care, and more than that, allow conclusions concerning causes, triggers, courses and consequences of psychiatric diseases.