1 in 5 young adults has personality disorder

[BridgeTheGap]

CHICAGO -- Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind.

The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25 percent of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment.

One expert said personality disorders may be overdiagnosed. But others said the results were not surprising since previous, less rigorous evidence has suggested mental problems are common on college campuses and elsewhere.

Experts praised the study's scope - face-to-face interviews about numerous disorders with more than 5,000 young people ages 19 to 25 - and said it spotlights a problem college administrators need to address.

Study co-author Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute called the widespread lack of treatment particularly worrisome. He said it should alert not only "students and parents, but also deans and people who run college mental health services about the need to extend access to treatment."

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/health/healthAP/story/794889.html

[ananda]

1. The insane are running the asylum if..

.. certain groups are targeted for treatment..

and or

.. those who would be "treated" are given drugs.

[slackmaster]

2. Based on 50 years of dealing with people, that sounds about right to me

There seems to be an epidemic of Drama Queen Disorder where I work lately.

[bananas]

3. 5 in 5 old adults

You're as young as you feel.

[Xipe Totec]

4. When 20% of a population exhibits a behavior, it's a stretch to call it abnormal

Just saying.

[Jim__]

5. It's not "a behavior", but 20% exhibit one of a set of behaviors.

From the article:

Personality disorders were the second most common problem behind drug or alcohol abuse as a single category. The disorders include obsessive, anti-social and paranoid behaviors that are not mere quirks but actually interfere with ordinary functioning.

[Celebration]

6. So is this Columbia University's "Teen Screen" program?

A college age version of the same thing?

http://www.teenscreentruth.com/index.html

The TeenScreen Program is an extremely controversial mental health screening program developed by Columbia University’s Child Psychiatry Research Department. Their goal is to screen every school-aged child before graduation for suicide and "mental disorders" using a computer survey and then recommending those that are considered at risk for "treatment."
With daily reports of violence and even murder on the rise — on the surface this program sounds like a good thing. Could it be a program that could potentially reduce violence and deaths in our schools? Is TeenScreen really effective and able to achieve its stated goals? What kind of diagnosis and treatment methods are being recommended, and what are the long-term effects? What does screening mean to the future of our children?


A simple test is given to students and the results are scored using a screening checklist based on "symptoms", to determine what "disorders" the student is manifesting. These symptoms are the sole basis for any diagnosis of mental disease. The screening questions are specifically geared to match criteria from the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth edition (DSM- IV), a manual that comprises all the "symptoms of mental diseases" that were voted into existence by the American Psychiatric Association.

[Jim__]

7. This sounds different.

The article referred to in the OP is about a study done in 2001 - 2002 where the results of the study - personal interviews - were being evaluated until now. The teen screening is a computer survey. I'm curious as to how they determine the number of false positives from the screening survey. It seems like that would have to be done by some follow-up diagnosis.

The study referred to in the article sounds like it took more time and effort to evaluate people than the computer survey. It would be interesting to see the sets of questions asked in the study versus those used in the computer survey.

[Celebration]

8. Apparently

they won't even tell us the criteria for the teen screening. I wonder if it is the same for this.

College kids are under a lot of stress, no doubt about that. I'd rather see strategies to reduce the aggregate amount of stress in this particular group than excuses to drug them.