Ahmad Ali Noorbala
1*, Seyed Abbas Bagheri Yazdi
2, Soghrat Faghihzadeh
3, Koorosh Kamali
4, Elham Faghihzadeh
5, Ahmad Hajebi
6, Shahin Akhondzadeh
7, Alia Shakiba
8, Shirin Baftahchi
9, Bijan Skandari
101 Psychosomatic Medicine Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
2 Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran, Tehran, Iran,
3 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran,
4 Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran,
5 Department of Biostatistics, Paramedical School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
6 Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors (ReCARB), Psychiatric Department, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
7 Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
8 Psychiatrist, Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
9 Responsible Manager of Mental Health office of Gilan Provincial Health Center, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran,
10 Mental Health Expertise of Gilan Provincial Health Center, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: The main objective of this study was to determine the
mental health status of population aged 15 and over in the province of Gilan in
2015.
Methods: The statistical population of this cross-sectional field
survey consisted of residents of urban and rural areas of Fars in Iran. An estimated sample size of 1200 people was
chosen using systematic random cluster sampling. The access was provided by the
contribution of Geographical Post Office of Rasht, Fouman, and Hashtpar cities.
The General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was used as the screening tool
for mental disorders. The
analysis of data in the current study was carried out using the SPSS-18
software.
Results: Using GHQ traditional scoring
method, the results showed that 18% of the studied population (19.3% of the females and
16.6% of the males) were considered as likely cases. The prevalence rate of
mental disorders was 18.7% for urban and 17.7% for rural areas. Prevalence rates
of somatization and anxiety were higher than social dysfunction and depression
and women revealed higher prevalence for these disorders compared with men. It
was also shown that the prevalence rate significantly increased with age and
was higher in women, people aged 65 and above, urban residents, widowed or
divorced, illiterate, and unemployed people.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that
about a fifth of the people in the province are suspected to have mental
disorders. Comparing the results of the current survey with those of the study
conducted in 1999 suggests that the prevalence of mental disorders is on the
decrease in this province (from 25.2% in 1999 to 18% in 2015). Therefore, it
seems vital that the officials take action in order to improve and maintain
mental health status of the people who are at risk.