Lifetime Prevalence of Depression and the Age-of-Onset Report Distributions of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM) in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

The paragraph title sounds complicated, but the study conclusions are critical and simple to understand. Lifetime prevalence estimates are as follows: anxiety disorders, 28.8%; mood disorders, 20.8%; impulse-control disorders, 24.8%; substance use disorders, 14.6%; any disorder, 46.4%. Median age of onset is much earlier for anxiety (11 years) and impulse-control (11 years) disorders than for substance use (20 years) and mood (30 years) disorders. Half of all lifetime cases start by age 14 years and three fourths by age 24 years. Later onsets are mostly of comorbid conditions, with estimated lifetime risk of any disorder at age 75 years (50.8%) only slightly higher than observed lifetime prevalence (46.4%).

Lifetime prevalence estimates are higher in recent cohorts than in earlier cohorts and have fairly stable intercohort differences across the life course that vary in substantively plausible ways among sociodemographic subgroups.

Conclusions: About half of Americans will meet the criteria for a DSM-IV disorder sometime in their life, with first onset usually in childhood or adolescence. Interventions aimed at prevention or early treatment need to focus on youth and young adults. The earlier the disease is treated, the better chance for a successful recovery. If traditional antidepressants do not provide adequate relief from depression , vagus nerve stimulation therapy is a powerful yet relatively simple procedure.

Sources: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (Dr Kessler; Mss Demler and Walters; and Mr Jin); Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ms Berglund); and Section on Developmental Genetic Epidemiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Rockville, Md (Dr Merikangas).

Learn more about vagus nerve stimulation at www.VagusNerveStimulator.com

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial for vagus nerve stimulation and depression. He testified to the Panel at the Advisory Meeting on June 15th. After 25 years of chronic depression, vagus nerve stimulation completely cured his chronic depression. The author is so grateful and humbled by this remarkable device. Learn more at his website: http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com There is a free newsletter to keep you up-to-date.