Low prevalence of major depressive disorder in Taiwanese adults: possible explanations and implications

Background. This study examined the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), and the correlations andco-morbid conditions associated with MDD, in the adult Taiwanese population, which a previous estimate in the1980s had found to be at the lower end of the spectrum worldwide. Possible explanations for the reported lowprevalence of MDD were evaluated.Method. As part of a survey of common psychiatric disorders in a nationally representative sample of individualsaged o18 years who were non-institutionalized civilians in Taiwan, a face-to-face interview using the paper versionof the World Mental Health Survey of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International DiagnosticInterview (WMH-CIDI) was conducted between 2003 and 2005. Functional impairment and help-seeking behaviorswere compared between Taiwanese subjects with MDD and their counterparts in the USA.Results. Among the 10135 respondents, the lifetime prevalence of MDD was 1.20% [standard error (