Epidemiological study of psychiatric disorder in adolescent girls: preliminary communication

A two-stage general population study of affective disorder and problems of eating control in 15-19-year-old girls is in progress, the sample being identified by the use of general practitioners' age-sex registers. So far, 244 girls and their mothers have been interviewed and have independently completed questionnaires relating to mood and appetite control. The girls completed questionnaires both on themselves and on their mothers, and their mothers on themselves and on their daughters. Significant correlations between self-rating and rating of the other person were obtained in all cases, with agreement on the daughters' mood being higher in non-manual couples.