Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in Brazilian regions

a literature review

Abstract

Aim: To identify the frequency, the determining factors and the use of health services available for the treatment of anxiety disorders in Brazil. Methods: The searches were performed in the following databases: PubMed, LILACs and Google Scholar, covering the last 10 years. The descriptors were: “epidemiology”, “anxiety disorders”, “prevalence” and “Brazil”. Articles containing original data from representative samples of the community were selected. Inclusion criteria: anxiety disorders should have been assessed through standardized diagnostic interviews. Results: The year-prevalence of anxiety disorders in some regions of Brazil (mainly southeastern and southern regions) was high, reaching 19.9% and life prevalence of 28.1% in the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The prevalence ratio, or the relationship between the rate in the last year and throughout life, was 0.71, showing the high persistence of anxiety disorders. Some sociodemographic factors and comorbidity with other mental (especially depression) and physical disorders were associated with anxiety. The most persistent conditions were those most associated with physical comorbidity and chronic diseases. Only 23% of respondents (with the highest healthcare seeking among patients with panic disorder) had some form of healthcare in the year prior to the interview. Discussion: In the regions included in the present review, anxiety disorders represent the most prevalent psychiatric condition among the studies that have assessed other mental disorders, whose course had high persistence or chronicity. Compared with high-income countries, there is some evidence that the proportion of individuals who have received some form of treatment in our country is lower. Based on the data collected, it was found that most of the studies evaluated comment on the importance of implementing comprehensive public services in order to provide a support network for the population in need.