El uso del método epidemiológico en psiquiatría

Abstract

The author describes the epidemiological method in general terms and points out its application in the study of mental disturbances. The following conclusions may be drawn from the statement: (1) The epidemiological method is of great importance in psychiatric surveys, in particular because of the relationship between mental disturbances and the physical, social, and cultural factors of the environment. (2) It frequently is the preferred method in studies of common behavioral disturbances that do not come to the attention of the clinician except in the final stages or owing to their medico-legal consequences, as is the case in alcoholism, suicide, emotional and behavioral disturbances, symptoms of nervous or mental diseases, etc. (3) The method is not opposed to other methods utilized in medical research but rather complements them. (4) The use of this method in psychiatry, more than in any other branch of medicine, requires the collaboration of other specialists acting as an integrated team. (5) Epidemiological studies in mental pathology need to have from clinical medicin clear and functional definitions for application to their specific field: human groups. (6) Good clinical data concerning persons undergoing out-patient treatment or hospitalized for phychic disturbances and suitable records are of vital importance not only for clinical studies but also for epidemiological studies ...(AU)