About 22 percent of adult Flemish people met the criteria for a mental disorder in the past 12 months. This is reported by the healthcare umbrella organization Zorgnet-Icuro based on the results of a series of surveys among approximately 6,400 Flemish and Dutch-speaking Brussels residents.
In the past 12 months, 9 percent of the population had depression, 12 percent had an anxiety disorder, 11 percent had an alcohol disorder and 12 percent had an externalizing disorder. The latter group consists of disorders related to, among other things, attention and concentration problems, impulsivity, aggression, binging (including eating disorders) or non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.
About a third of Flemish people will experience a mental disorder at some point in their lives. Compared to twenty years ago, mental disorders are more common today. People with a mental disorder still wait far too long – an average of ten years – to seek help.
Zorgnet-Icuro wants to collect data on psychological disorders and care use with an inter-university chair. With a psychological disorder, the psychological balance is disturbed for a long time, with a negative effect on functioning in various areas of life such as work, social relationships, finances or health.
Increase, but not equally strong everywhere
According to the researchers, it is striking that compared to twenty years ago, the prevalence of mental disorders has increased, but not equally for all disorders. Mood disorders appear to remain more or less stable, the other groups are more common.
“We are particularly concerned about externalizing disorders,” says Margot Cloet, CEO of Zorgnet-Icuro. “These problems often arise at a young age. And young people with externalizing and impulsive problems also have a much higher chance of developing other mental disorders in later life. Efforts for the prevention of mental disorders should therefore primarily focus on children and young people, and start from primary school age.”
Median age 19
The median age of onset for a disorder is 19 years. Compared to previous data, the median age of onset for depression has decreased from 38 to 24 years. Anxiety disorders develop slightly later than in the past, with a median age of onset of 24 years, and alcohol disorders begin around the age of 18. Externalizing disorders start before the age of 18 in half of those affected; for a quarter this is even for 13 years. At young ages, this mainly concerns eating problems and problems controlling tantrums and other impulsive behavior.
The research shows that people with a mental disorder still wait far too long to seek help, an average of ten years. But three in ten people with a mental disorder seek treatment within a year. “We must continue to strive to reduce that delay time. The social and human impact of that long delay is enormous,” says Cloet.
Finally, people with a lower socio-economic status also appear to be much more likely to develop a mental disorder.
