Psychiatric morbidity among repatriated Greek migrants in a rural area

This paper reports on psychiatric case identification by the application of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) in a sample of 198 Greek migrants repatriated from western europe in a northwestern province of Greece. The current (1 month) prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, based on the total number of diagnosed cases, was found to be 43.4%. Lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders was found to be higher (49.4%). The majority of the sample were diagnosed as suffering from anxiety disorders and dysthymia. Psychiatric disorders were found to be more prevalent among middle-aged respondents. Duration of stay in the foreign country was a factor correlated with psychiatric morbidity. Of short-term migrants 54% were found to suffer from specific nosological entities, whereas 32% of long-term migrants were diagnosed as cases. The results are discussed within the framework of the existing sociocultural context of emigration and repatriation.