The epidemiology of mental disorders in Finland

Abstract

Psychiatric epidemiology has a long tradition in Finland. In the following article the Finnish epidemiological studies conducted since the 1960s are reviewed, focusing particularly on two main studies: the Mini Finland Health Survey and the UKKI Study. The former is an extensive cross-sectional survey of the Finnish adult population dealing with not only the occurrence of mental disorders but also physical illnesses and their met and unmet need for treatment. The latter is a more intensive longitudinal study in which the same population sample has been followed up with epidemiological methods for 16 years, producing information on the changes of mental health and incidence of mental disorders. Some main results from these studies are presented.

Key Words:

• Epidemiology
• Finland
• Incidence
• Mental disorders
• Need for treatment
• Prevalence