Epidemiology and treatment of mental disorders in a rapidly developing urban region in China: a study of prevalence, risk factors and e-applications

This thesis presented results of the Tianjin mental Health Survey (TJMHS). The first aim was to estimate the 1-month (‘current’) and lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV mental disorders and their sociodemographic determinants in adults aged 18 years of age and older. The second aim was to assess mental health literacy (MHL) and the level of stigmatization of mentally ill individuals among community members. The third aim was to assess help-seeking behavior for psychological problems across formal and informal care settings and the level of unmet need for mental health services among individuals with and without mental disorders. The final aim was to evaluate the currently available mobile mental health applications in China.
We found that the lifetime prevalence of mental disorder in Tianjin was 23.6%. In addition, only a small percentage of persons with a mental disorder did seek any help, mostly in non-mental healthcare settings, which could be a strong signal that there is a sizable unmet need for mental health care in Tianjin. To increase the number of patients that seek help, their knowledge about available help and the ways to find it need to be increased and potential stigma needs to be decreased by a.o. psychoeducation programs.