an epidemiological study of psychological disorders on a rural area (meibod, yazd) in iran

this paper reports the results of an epidemiological study of psychological disorders among the rural population of meibod, in the province of yazd, with an age range above 15 (n=400). the main instrument was scl-90-r. a score of 0.4 indicating gsi level and reported in a previous research was chosen as a cut off point. subjects scoring above this point and an equal random number scoring below that point, were eveluated by two psychiatrists. the results showed that 12.5% of sample suffered from some psychological disorders: affective disorders 5.75% anxiety disorders 5.5%, somatoform disorders and organic states, each with a rate of 0.50%, and schizophernia with a rate 0.2%. prevalence was higher for women, individuals with lower education, married, unemployed, house wives, and for those within the age range of 25-44. high reliability and validity was found for the scl-90-r as an epidemiological instrument.