Mental disorders and hypertension: factors associated with awareness and treatment of hypertension in the general population of Germany

The aim of the present study was to identify the association between mental disorders and awareness and treatment of hypertension in a large representative community sample. The analysis was based on data from 4149 respondents, ages 18 to 65 years, from the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey, a nationally representative multistage probability survey conducted from 1997 to 1999. Mental disorders were assessed by a modified version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Blood pressure was measured during the medical examination by a health examiner. There was no general association between awareness of hypertension and affective, anxiety, and substance abuse/dependence disorders. Men with acknowledged but untreated hypertension more often experienced affective and substance abuse/dependence disorders than men with treated hypertension. These relationships were stable after adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Our results suggest that it is important to distinguish between treated and acknowledged but untreated hypertension when evaluating the associations between mental disorders and hypertension.