Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T03:29:21.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Time-to-treatment of mental disorders in a community sample of Dutch adolescents. A TRAILS study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2016

D. Raven Open the ORCID record for D. Raven [Opens in a new window] ,
F. Jörg Open the ORCID record for F. Jörg [Opens in a new window] ,
E. Visser ,
A. J. Oldehinkel  and
R. A. Schoevers
D. Raven*
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands Friesland Mental Health Services, Department of Research and Education, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
F. Jörg
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands Friesland Mental Health Services, Department of Research and Education, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
E. Visser
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research center (RGOc), Groningen, The Netherlands
A. J. Oldehinkel
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands
R. A. Schoevers
Affiliation:
University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE), Groningen, The Netherlands
*
*Address for correspondence: D. Raven, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), CC72, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. (Email: d.raven@umcg.nl)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Aims.

Timely recognition and treatment of mental disorders with an onset in childhood and adolescence is paramount, as these are characterized by greater severity and longer persistence than disorders with an onset in adulthood. Studies examining time-to-treatment, also referred to as treatment delay, duration of untreated illness or latency to treatment, and defined as the time between disorder onset and initial treatment contact, are sparse and all based on adult samples. The aim of this study was to describe time-to-treatment and its correlates for any health care professional (any care) and secondary mental health care (secondary care), for a broad range of mental disorders, in adolescents.

Methods.

Data from the Dutch community-based cohort study TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS; N = 2230) were used. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was administered to assess DSM-IV disorders, the age of onset, and the age of initial treatment contact with any health care professional in 1584 adolescents of 18–20 years old. In total 43% of the adolescents (n = 675) were diagnosed with a lifetime DSM-IV disorder. The age of initial treatment contact with secondary care was based on administrative records from 321 adolescents without a disorder onset before the age of 10. Descriptive statistics, cumulative lifetime probability plots, and Cox regression analyses were used analyze time-to-treatment.

Results.

The proportion of adolescents who reported lifetime treatment contact with any care varied from 15% for alcohol dependence to 82% for dysthymia. Regarding secondary care, proportions of lifetime treatment contact were lower for mood disorders and higher for substance dependence. Time-to-treatment for any care varied considerably between and within diagnostic classes. The probability of lifetime treatment contact for mood disorders was above 90%, whereas for other mental disorders this was substantially lower. An earlier age of onset predicted a longer, and the presence of a co-morbid mood disorder predicted a shorter time-to-treatment in general. Disorder severity predicted a shorter time-to-treatment for any care, but not for secondary care. Time-to-treatment for secondary care was shorter for adolescents from low and middle socioeconomic background than for adolescents from a high socioeconomic background.

Conclusion.

Although the time-to-treatment was shorter for adolescents than for adults, it was still substantial, and the overall patterns were remarkably similar to those found in adults. Efforts to reduce time-to-treatment should therefore be aimed at children and adolescents. Future research should address mechanisms underlying time-to-treatment and its consequences for early-onset disorders in particular.

Keywords

Adolescencediagnosishealth service researchmental healthsurvival analysis
Type
Original Articles
Information
Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 177 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, TM, Rescorla, LA (2001). Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms & Profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families: Burlington, VT.Google Scholar
Altamura, AC, Dell'Osso, B, Mundo, E, Dell'Osso, L (2007). Duration of untreated illness in major depressive disorder: a naturalistic study. International Journal of Clinical Practice 61, 1697–1700.Google Scholar
Altamura, AC, Dell'Osso, B, Vismara, S, Mundo, E (2008). May duration of untreated illness influence the long-term course of major depressive disorder? European Psychiatry 23, 92–96.Google Scholar
Altamura, AC, Buoli, M, Albano, A, Dell'Osso, B (2010). Age at onset and latency to treatment (duration of untreated illness) in patients with mood and anxiety disorders: a naturalistic study. International Clinical Psychopharmacology 25, 172–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn. APA: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Amone-P'Olak, K, Ormel, J, Oldehinkel, AJ, Reijneveld, SA, Verhulst, FC, Burger, H (2010). Socioeconomic position predicts specialty mental health service use independent of clinical severity: the TRAILS study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 49, 647–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Angst, J, Paksarian, D, Cui, L, Merikangas, KR, Hengartner, MP, Ajdacic-Gross, V, Rössler, W (2016). The epidemiology of common mental disorders from age 20 to 50: results from the prospective Zurich Cohort Study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 25, 24–32.Google Scholar
Bruffaerts, R, Bonnewyn, A, Demyttenaere, K (2007). Delays in seeking treatment for mental disorders in the Belgian general population. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 42, 937–944.Google Scholar
Bunting, BP, Murphy, SD, O'Neill, SM, Ferry, FR (2012). Lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders and delay in treatment following initial onset: evidence from the Northern Ireland Study of Health and Stress. Psychological Medicine 42, 1727–1739.Google Scholar
Chapman, C, Slade, T, Hunt, C, Teesson, M (2015). Delay to first treatment contact for alcohol use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 147, 116–121.Google Scholar
Christiana, JM, Gilman, SE, Guardino, M, Mickelson, K, Morselli, PL, Olfson, M, Kessler, RC (2000). Duration between onset and time of obtaining initial treatment among people with anxiety and mood disorders: an international survey of members of mental health patient advocate groups. Psychological Medicine 30, 693–703.Google Scholar
Costello, EJ, Maughan, B (2015). Annual research review: optimal outcomes of child and adolescent mental illness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 56, 324–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Girolamo, G, Dagani, J, Purcell, R, Cocchi, A, McGorry, PD (2012). Age of onset of mental disorders and use of mental health services: needs, opportunities and obstacles. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 21, 47–57.Google Scholar
de Graaf, R, ten Have, M, van Gool, C, van Dorsselaer, S (2012). Prevalence of mental disorders and trends from 1996 to 2009. Results from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 47, 203–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dell'Osso, B, Altamura, AC (2010). Duration of untreated psychosis and duration of untreated illness: new vistas. CNS Spectrums 15, 238–246.Google Scholar
de Winter, AF, Oldehinkel, AJ, Veenstra, R, Brunnekreef, JA, Verhulst, FC, Ormel, J (2005). Evaluation of non-response bias in mental health determinants and outcomes in a large sample of pre-adolescents. European Journal of Epidemiology 20, 173–181.Google Scholar
Ghio, L, Gotelli, S, Marcenaro, M, Amore, M, Natta, W (2014). Duration of untreated illness and outcomes in unipolar depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders 152–154, 45–51.Google Scholar
Haro, JM, Arbabzadeh-Bouchez, S, Brugha, TS, De Girolamo, G, Guyer, ME, Jin, R, Lepine, JP, Mazzi, F, Reneses, B, Vilagut, G, Sampson, NA, Kessler, RC (2006). Concordance of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 (CIDI 3.0) with standardized clinical assessments in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 15, 167–180.Google Scholar
IBM Corp (2015). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0. IBM Corp: Armonk, NY, 23.0.Google Scholar
Jansen, DEMC, Wiegersma, P, Ormel, J, Verhulst, FC, Vollebergh, WAM, Reijneveld, SA (2013). Need for mental health care in adolescents and its determinants: the TRAILS Study. European Journal of Public Health 23, 236–241.Google Scholar
Jörg, F, Visser, E, Ormel, J, Reijneveld, SA, Hartman, CA, Oldehinkel, AJ (2015). Mental health care use in adolescents with and without mental disorders. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1–8. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s00787-015-0754-9.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Üstün, TB (2004). The World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). International Journal or Methods in Psychiatric Research 13, 93–121.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Olfson, M, Berglund, PA (1998). Patterns and predictors of treatment contact after first onset of psychiatric disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry 155, 62–69.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Berglund, P, Demler, O, Jin, R, Merikangas, KR, Walters, EE (2005 a). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 593–602.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, RC, Demler, O, Frank, RG, Olfson, M, Pincus, HA, Walters, EE, Wang, P, Wells, KB, Zaslavsky, AM (2005 b). Prevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders, 1990 to 2003. New England Journal of Medicine 352, 2515–2523.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kessler, RC, Amminger, GP, Aguilar-Gaxiola, S, Alonso, J, Lee, S, Ustün, TB (2007). Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. Current Opinion in Psychiatry 20, 359–364.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Avenevoli, S, Green, J, Gruber, MJ, Guyer, M, He, Y, Jin, R, Kaufman, J, Sampson, NA, Zaslavsky, AM (2009). National comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement (NCS-A): III. Concordance of DSM-IV/CIDI diagnoses with clinical reassessments. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 48, 386–399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kisely, S, Scott, A, Denney, J, Simon, G (2006). Duration of untreated symptoms in common mental disorders: association with outcomes. British Journal of Psychiatry 189, 79–80.Google Scholar
Kleinbaum, DG, Klein, M (2012). Survival Analysis, 3rd edn. Springer-Verlag New York: New York, NY.Google Scholar
Korczak, DJ, Goldstein, BI (2009). Childhood onset major depressive disorder: course of illness and psychiatric comorbidity in a community sample. Journal of Pediatrics 155, 118–123.Google Scholar
Marshall, M, Lewis, S, Lockwood, A, Drake, R, Jones, P, Croudace, T (2005). Association between duration of untreated psychosis and outcome in cohorts of first-episode patients. A systematic review. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 975–983.Google Scholar
Merikangas, KR, He, J-P, Burstein, M, Swanson, SA, Avenevoli, S, Cui, L, Benjet, C, Georgiades, K, Swendsen, J (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication – Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 49, 980–989.Google Scholar
Merikangas, KR, He, J-P, Burstein, M, Swendsen, J, Avenevoli, S, Case, B, Georgiades, K, Heaton, L, Swanson, S, Olfson, M (2011). Service utilization for lifetime mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 50, 32–45.Google Scholar
Moffitt, TE, Caspi, A, Taylor, A, Kokaua, J, Milne, BJ, Polanczyk, G, Poulton, R (2010). How common are common mental disorders? Evidence that lifetime prevalence rates are doubled by prospective versus retrospective ascertainment. Psychological Medicine 40, 899–909.Google Scholar
Nederhof, E, Jörg, F, Raven, D, Veenstra, R, Verhulst, FC, Ormel, J, Oldehinkel, AJ (2012). Benefits of extensive recruitment effort persist during follow-ups and are consistent across age group and survey method. The TRAILS study. BMC Medical Research Methodology 12, 93.Google Scholar
Oldehinkel, AJ, Rosmalen, JGM, Buitelaar, JK, Hoek, HW, Ormel, J, Raven, D, Reijneveld, SA, Veenstra, R, Verhulst, FC, Vollebergh, WAM, Hartman, CA (2015). Cohort profile update: the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). International Journal of Epidemiology 44, 76–76n.Google Scholar
Olfson, M, Liu, S-M, Grant, BF, Blanco, C (2012). Influence of comorbid mental disorders on time to seeking treatment for major depressive disorder. Medical Care 50, 227–232.Google Scholar
Ormel, J, Raven, D, van Oort, F, Hartman, CA, Reijneveld, SA, Veenstra, R, Vollebergh, WAM, Buitelaar, J, Verhulst, FC, Oldehinkel, AJ (2015). Mental health in Dutch adolescents: a TRAILS report on prevalence, severity, age of onset, continuity and co-morbidity of DSM disorders. Psychological Medicine 45, 345–360.Google Scholar
Perkins, DO, Gu, H, Boteva, K, Lieberman, JA (2005). Relationship between duration of untreated psychosis and outcome in first-episode schizophrenia: a critical review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry 162, 1785–1804.Google Scholar
Reef, J, van Meurs, I, Verhulst, FC, van der Ende, J (2010). Children's problems predict adults’ DSM-IV disorders across 24 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 49, 1117–1124.Google Scholar
Silverstein, AB (1975). Validity of WISC-R short forms. Journal of Clinical Psychology 31, 696–697.Google Scholar
ten Have, M, de Graaf, R, van Dorsselaer, S, Beekman, A (2013 a). Lifetime treatment contact and delay in treatment seeking after first onset of a mental disorder. Psychiatric Services 64, 981–989.Google Scholar
ten Have, M, Nuyen, J, Beekman, A, de Graaf, R (2013 b). Common mental disorder severity and its association with treatment contact and treatment intensity for mental health problems. Psychological Medicine 43, 2203–2213.Google Scholar
Thornicroft, G (2012). No time to lose: onset and treatment delay for mental disorders. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 21, 59–61.Google Scholar
Wang, PS, Berglund, PA, Olfson, M, Kessler, RC (2004). Delays in initial treatment contact after first onset of a mental disorder. Health Services Research 39, 393–415.Google Scholar
Wang, PS, Berglund, P, Olfson, M, Pincus, HA, Wells, KB, Kessler, RC (2005). Failure and delay in initial treatment contact after first onset of mental disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry 62, 603–613.Google Scholar
Wang, PS, Angermeyer, M, Borges, G, Bruffaerts, R, Tat Chiu, W, de Girolamo, G, Fayyad, J, Gureje, O, Haro, JM, Huang, Y, Kessler, RC, Kovess, V, Levinson, D, Nakane, Y, Oakley Brown, MA, Ormel, J, Posada-Villa, J, Aguilar-Gaxiola, S, Alonso, J, Lee, S, Heeringa, S, Pennell, B-E, Chatterji, S, Ustün, TB (2007). Delay and failure in treatment seeking after first onset of mental disorders in the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Survey Initiative. World Psychiatry 6, 177–185.Google Scholar
Whiteford, HA, Degenhardt, L, Rehm, J, Baxter, AJ, Ferrari, AJ, Erskine, HE, Charlson, FJ, Norman, RE, Flaxman, AD, Johns, N, Burstein, R, Murray, CJL, Vos, T (2013). Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 6736, 1–12.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Raven supplementary material S1

Raven supplementary material

Download Raven supplementary material S1(File)
File 58.4 KB
Supplementary material: File

Raven supplementary material S2

Raven supplementary material

Download Raven supplementary material S2(File)
File 16.3 KB