%0 Journal Article
%T The MentDis_ICF65+ study protocol: prevalence, 1-year incidence and symptom severity of mental disorders in the elderly and their relationship to impairment, functioning (ICF) and service utilisation
%A Sylke Andreas
%A Martin H£¿rter
%A Jana Volkert
%A Maria Hausberg
%A Susanne Sehner
%A Karl Wegscheider
%A Sven Rabung
%A Berta Aus¨ªn
%A Alessandra Canuto
%A Chiara Da Ronch
%A Luigi Grassi
%A Yael Hershkovitz
%A Paul Lelliott
%A Manuel Mu£¿oz
%A Alan Quirk
%A Ora Rotenstein
%A Ana Bel¨¦n Santos-Olmo
%A Arieh Shalev
%A Jens Siegert
%A Kerstin Weber
%A Hans-Ulrich Wittchen
%A Uwe Koch
%A Holger Schulz
%J BMC Psychiatry
%D 2013
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-244x-13-62
%X Method/design: Using a cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal design, this multi-centre study from six European countries and associated states (Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland) is based on age-stratified, random samples of elderly people living in the community. The study program consists of three phases: (1) a methodological phase devoted primarily to the adaptation of age- and gender-specific assessment tools for older people (e.g., the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, CIDI) as well as psychometric evaluations including translation, back translation; (2) a baseline community study in all participating countries to assess the lifetime, 12 month and 1 month prevalence and comorbidity of mental disorders, including prior course, quality of life, health care utilization and helpseeking, impairments and participation and, (3) a 12 month follow-up of all baseline participants to monitor course and outcome as well as examine predictors.The study is an essential step forward towards the further development and improvement of harmonised instruments for the assessment of mental disorders as well as the evaluation of activity impairment and participation in older adults. This study will also facilitate the comparison of cross-cultural results. These results will have bearing on mental health care in the EU and will offer a starting point for necessary structural changes to be initiated for mental health care policy at the level of mental health care politics.
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/13/62/abstract