Cost of depression among adults in Japan in 2005.

Aim: Major depression is expected to become the leading contributor to disease burden worldwide by 2020. Previous studies have shown that the societal cost of depression is not less than that of other major illnesses, such as cardiovascular diseases or AIDS. Nevertheless, the cost of depression in Japan has never been examined.

Evaluation of the DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for depressive disorders in a community population in Japan using item response theory.

The DSM-IV and ICD-10 are both operational diagnostic systems that classify known psychological disorders according to the number of criteria symptoms. Certain discrepancies between the criteria exist and may lead to some inconsistencies in psychiatric research. The purpose of this study was to investigate these differences in the assessment of depression with item response theory (IRT) analyses.

Lifetime comorbidities between phobic disorders and major depression in Japan: results from the World Mental Health Japan 2002-2004 Survey.

Background: Although often considered of minor significance in themselves, evidence exists that early-onset phobic disorders might be predictors of later more serious disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of phobic disorders with the onset of MDD in the community in Japan.

Methods: Data from the World Mental Health Japan 2002-2004 Survey were analyzed.

Prevalence and correlates of illicit and non-medical use of psychotropic drugs in Japan: findings from the World Mental Health Japan Survey 2002-2004.

Purpose: To describe the prevalence of illicit and non-medical use of drugs, the age of first use, and their correlates in the general population of Japan, based on data collected between 2002 and 2004 as part of the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys.

Methods: Participants included were a subsample (n = 887) of the total 2,436 Japanese-speaking respondents aged >or=20 years, randomly sampled from residents in seven cities/municipalities in Japan. Face-to-face household surveys were conducted using the Japanese version of the fully structured WHO WMH Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Heart disease, other circulatory diseases, and onset of major depression among community residents in Japan: results of the World Mental Health Survey Japan 2002-2004.

We examined whether selected circulatory diseases (heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension) were associated with an increased risk of major depression in the Japanese community population. Face-to-face household surveys were carried out in 7 areas, and a total of 2,436 persons participated (overall response rate: 58.4%) from 2002 to 2004.

The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the World Mental Health Survey Japan.

Two new screening scales for psychological distress, the K6 and K10, have been developed using the item response theory and shown to outperform existing screeners in English. We developed their Japanese versions using the standard back-translaton method and included them in the World Mental Health Survey Japan (WMH-J), which is a psychiatric epidemiologic study conducted in seven communities across Japan with 2436 participants. The WMH-J used the WMH Survey Initiative version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess the 30-day Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

Social class inequalities in self-rated health and their gender and age group differences in Japan.

Background: Few studies have examined social inequalities in self-rated health in Japan, and the issue of gender differences related to social inequalities in self-rated health remains inconclusive.

Methods: The data derived from interviews with 2987 randomly selected Japanese adults in four prefectures in Japan who completed the cross-national World Mental Health survey from 2002 through 2005. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) of having poor self-rated physical and mental health by two social class indicators independently with multivariate logistic regression models, adjusted for age, gender, marital status, and area.

Twelve-month use of mental health services in four areas in Japan: findings from the World Mental Health Japan Survey 2002-2003.

The aim of the present study was to provide basic descriptive data regarding utilization of 12-month mental health services in the Japanese community population. Face-to-face household surveys were carried out in four areas (two urban cities and two rural municipalities), and a total of 1663 persons participated (overall response rate: 56.4%).

Twelve-month prevalence, severity, and treatment of common mental disorders in communities in Japan: preliminary finding from the World Mental Health Japan Survey 2002-2003.

To estimate the prevalence, severity, and treatment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn; DSM-IV) mental disorders in community populations in Japan, face-to-face household surveys were conducted in four community populations in Japan. A total of 1663 community adults responded (overall response rate, 56%). The DSM-IV disorders, severity, and treatment were assessed with the World Mental Health version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI), a fully structured lay-administered psychiatric diagnostic interview.