Mental disorders of working age : Evaluation of the administrative incidence and prevalence as well as regional differences in Lower Saxony on the basis of secondary data from a statutory health insurance provider

Mental disorder is the subject of ever-increasing attention in the field of public health. However, the actual number of such cases is difficult to determine owing to the lack of comprehensive longitudinal studies. The administrative incidence and prevalence of mental disorders were estimated on the basis of data from 2010 to 2013 provided by the health insurance company AOK, Lower Saxony, and were assessed according to age and gender. Additionally, possible correlations between local conditions and the occurrence of diagnosed mental disorders were examined for both urban and rural districts. Analyses were conducted using the secondary datasets of 1.5 million persons born between 1940 and 1994 who had been continuously insured throughout the period specified. Only documented diagnoses from outpatient care were taken into account. One third of the insured persons showed at least one documented diagnosis of a mental disorder within a 12-month period. In approximately 11 out of 100 cases, there was a newly documented diagnosis in 2012. With the exception of cases relating to psychotropic substance use, women were significantly more frequently affected than men. Age-specific differences were also determined. At a regional level, in relation to administrative prevalence, mental disorders showed positive correlations in the density of doctors and psychotherapists. Moreover, regions with a high rate of unemployment generally show a higher prevalence of mental disorders. Despite certain limitations, the use of administrative incidence and prevalence data is a viable approach to assessing gender- and age-specific, and regional differences. Our regional analyses suggest a correlation between the local job situation and the level of regional administrative prevalence.