Estimating the Prevalence of Mental and Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Approach to Triangulating Available Data to Inform Health Systems Planning

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of specific mental and substance use disorders (MSUDs), by age and sex, as a first step toward informing needs-based health systems planning by decision-makers. Methods: We developed a conceptual framework and a systematic methodology for combining available dat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of psychiatry 2022-02, Vol.67 (2), p.107-116
Main Authors: Vigo, Daniel, Jones, Wayne, Dove, Naomi, Maidana, Daniel E., Tallon, Corinne, Small, Will, Samji, Hasina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
British Columbia - epidemiology
Comorbidity
Drug addiction
Drug use
Estimates
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Health
Planning
Prevalence
Regular
Substance use disorder
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
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Summary:Objective: To estimate the prevalence of specific mental and substance use disorders (MSUDs), by age and sex, as a first step toward informing needs-based health systems planning by decision-makers. Methods: We developed a conceptual framework and a systematic methodology for combining available data sources to yield prevalence estimates for specific MSUDs. Data sources used included published, peer-reviewed literature from Canada and comparable countries, Canadian population survey data, and health administrative data from British Columbia. Several well-established methodologies including systematic review and meta-analyses of published prevalence estimates, modelling of age- and sex-specific distributions, and the Global Burden of Disease severity distribution model were incorporated in a novel mode of triangulation. Results: Using this novel approach, we obtained prevalence estimates for 10 MSUDs for British Columbia, Canada, as well as prevalence distributions across age groups, by sex. Conclusion: Obtaining reliable assessments of disorder prevalence and severity is a useful first step toward rationally estimating service need and plan health services. We propose a methodology to leverage existing information to obtain robust estimates in a timely manner and with sufficient granularity to, after adjusting for comorbidity and matching with severity-specific service bundles, inform need-based planning efforts for adult (15 years and older) mental health and substance use services.
ISSN:0706-7437
1497-0015
DOI:10.1177/07067437211006872