Common mental disorders among patients in primary health care in Greenland.

Introduction: There are many indications that mental health in Greenland is endangered and needs more attention.

Study Design: A two-stage study of the prevalence of common mental disorders among a sample of primary health care patients.

Methods: 376 randomly selected patients from general consultations in two Greenlandic towns were screened with 12 questions from the General Health Questionnaire.

The importance of family to health, development and welfare of children.

Objectives: Recent investigations have shown that a number of families in Greenland have problems related to parents' use of alcohol. One of the consequences is that children get more difficult conditions during childhood. Children suffer when their parents have alcohol-related problems.

The Nordic Council for Arctic Medical Research. History, aims and achievements.

The Organization of Nordic Council for Arctic Medical Research (NCAMR, or NoSAMF in Scandinavian languages) was initiated by the governmental Nordic Council in 1966. The new council was charged with the task of promoting arctic medical research in the Nordic countries. It began its duties in 1969.

Affective disorders among Greenlandic psychiatric patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the treatment incidence, diagnostic stability and clinical and social outcome of affective disorders in the Greenlandic population.

Methods: A cohort of Greenlanders first hospitalized in 1980-1983 and diagnosed with an affective disorder at least once during the period 7 to 12 years after first admission formed the study population. The manic-depressive patients who were still alive at follow-up were invited for a Present State Examination, and information about clinical and social condition was obtained for the total cohort.