RESUMO
The objective of this survey was to carry out the epidemiological study of the psychiatric disorders among over 18 years old individuals in the urban and rural areas of Chaharmohal and Bakhtiari province. The sample consisted of 305 persons selected by randomized clustered and systematic sampling methods from the families of Chaharmohal and Bakhtiari province. For each person the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia [SADS] questionnaire was completed by a clinical psychologist. The diagnosis of the disorders was based on DSM-IV classification criteria. The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the province was 16.42%. It was 20% among women and 13.14% among men. The anxiety and neuro-cognitive disorders with 9.52% and 3.28% respectively were the most prevalent in the province. The prevalence of psychotic disorders in this study was 0.33%, mood disorders 2.63% and dissociative disorders 0.66%. In the group of mood disorders, major depression with 2.30% and in the group of anxiety disorders, phobic disorder with 2.62% had the highest prevalence. We found that 10.49% of the individuals suffered from at least one psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the province among the age group of 56-65 with 30%, individuals whose spouses had passed away with 25%, urban residents with 15.53%, illiterates with 12.66% and unemployed persons with 21.74% were more than other groups. These findings emphasize the responsibility of the health policy makers for prevention, treatment and medical education for mental health