Premium
Psychology, psychologists, and psychiatric epidemiology
Author(s) -
Dohrenwend Bruce P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb05908.x
Subject(s) - psychiatric epidemiology , epidemiology , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , medicine , mental health
The purpose of this paper is to inquire into what interests psychologists might have in epidemiological approaches to the study of psychopathology, what psychologists have contributed in the past, and what they might be expected to contribute in the future. This inquiry starts with a consideration of epidemiological findings and issues that should command the interests of psychologists: differences between treated rates and untreated rates of psychiatric disorders, relations of psychiatric disorders to gender and socioeconomic status, and problems of case identification and diagnosis. My own experience with these issues and problems is discussed. An argument is made that there are important needs for the expertise of psychologists in psychiatric epidemiology and compelling reasons for them to enter the field in greater numbers than they have in the past.