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The authors present comparative data on the extent, nature, and impact of diagnosed mental disorder among children under 18 years of age seen during 1975 in four organized health care settings. Between 3.3% and 10.1% of the children seen were diagnosed as having a mental disorder in the study year, representing an annual prevalence of between 2.2% and 8.2% of the "covered" child populations. Transient situational disturbances, behavior disorders, and special symptoms were the most common diagnoses; the more severe disorders (organic brain disease, schizophrenia, and affective and other psychoses) accounted for less than 4% of all diagnosed mental disorder. Patients with diagnosed mental disorder used non-mental-health services (except those of pediatricians) appreciably more often than did patients without such a diagnosis.

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders diagnosed according to DSM-III in adolescents in the general population is not known. The authors address this issue in a community sample of 150 adolescents 14-16 years of age. Structured interviews as well as other instruments were used to collect data. Twenty-eight (18.7%) of the 150 adolescents were identified as having a psychiatric disorder. These 28 adolescents viewed their parents as less caring, had lower self-esteem, and resolved their conflicts through verbal aggression and physical violence more often than did the adolescents who did not have a psychiatric disorder. The authors make recommendations regarding the use of structured interviews in future research.