Are common mental disorders more persistent over time? Insights from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incident Studies (NEMESIS)
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2Trimbos Institute, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Utrecht, Netherlands
Abstract
Background: Recent increases in common mental disorder prevalence could partly reflect greater persistence of existing disorders. We examined 3-year persistence for anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders, defined as meeting diagnostic criteria at baseline and again during 3-year follow-up. We compared persistence rates with those observed 12 years earlier and investigated (changes in) determinants of persistence.
Methods: Data were from the third Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-3), a population-based study (N = 6,194; 18–75 years; interviewed 2019–2022 and 2023–2024). A slightly modified Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 assessed DSM-5 and DSM-IV diagnoses. Persistence was described from two perspectives: narrow (presence of a mental disorder of the same diagnostic category during follow-up) and broad (presence of any anxiety, mood, and/or substance use disorder during follow-up). Twelve-year trends were examined by comparing DSM-IV persistence in NEMESIS-3 with NEMESIS-2 (N = 6,646; interviewed 2007–2009 and 2010–2012) among adults aged 18–64 years.
Results: In NEMESIS-3, 3-year narrow persistence was 41.6% for anxiety, 48.0% for mood, and 40.3% for substance use disorders. Broad persistence was higher: 57.1%, 63.2%, and 55.1%, respectively. Persistence increased in 12 years across all disorder groups: broad persistence for any mental disorder was 42.7% in NEMESIS-2 and 57.9% in NEMESIS-3. Higher broad persistence was significantly associated with younger age, living in a city, childhood trauma, and near-daily drug use in multivariable analyses. These associations were stable over time.
Conclusions: Three-year persistence of common mental disorders is substantial and has increased compared with 12 years earlier, suggesting growing challenges for treatment and long-term care.
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BibTeX
@article{gkitakou2026common,
title = {{Are common mental disorders more persistent over time? Insights from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incident Studies (NEMESIS)}},
author = {Artemis Gkitakou and Margreet Ten Have and Neeltje M. Batelaan and Annemarie I. Luik and Brenda W.J.H. Penninx},
journal = {Psychological Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1017/s0033291726105467},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291726105467},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Are common mental disorders more persistent over time? Insights from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incident Studies (NEMESIS)
AU - Artemis Gkitakou
AU - Margreet Ten Have
AU - Neeltje M. Batelaan
AU - Annemarie I. Luik
AU - Brenda W.J.H. Penninx
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
JO - Psychological Medicine
DO - 10.1017/s0033291726105467
UR - https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291726105467
AB - Background: Recent increases in common mental disorder prevalence could partly reflect greater persistence of existing disorders. We examined 3-year persistence for anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders, defined as meeting diagnostic criteria at baseline and again during 3-year follow-up. We compared persistence rates with those observed 12 years earlier and investigated (changes in) determinants of persistence. Methods: Data were from the third Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS-3), a population-based study (N = 6,194; 18–75 years; interviewed 2019–2022 and 2023–2024). A slightly modified Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 assessed DSM-5 and DSM-IV diagnoses. Persistence was described from two perspectives: narrow (presence of a mental disorder of the same diagnostic category during follow-up) and broad (presence of any anxiety, mood, and/or substance use disorder during follow-up). Twelve-year trends were examined by comparing DSM-IV persistence in NEMESIS-3 with NEMESIS-2 (N = 6,646; interviewed 2007–2009 and 2010–2012) among adults aged 18–64 years. Results: In NEMESIS-3, 3-year narrow persistence was 41.6% for anxiety, 48.0% for mood, and 40.3% for substance use disorders. Broad persistence was higher: 57.1%, 63.2%, and 55.1%, respectively. Persistence increased in 12 years across all disorder groups: broad persistence for any mental disorder was 42.7% in NEMESIS-2 and 57.9% in NEMESIS-3. Higher broad persistence was significantly associated with younger age, living in a city, childhood trauma, and near-daily drug use in multivariable analyses. These associations were stable over time. Conclusions: Three-year persistence of common mental disorders is substantial and has increased compared with 12 years earlier, suggesting growing challenges for treatment and long-term care.
SN - 0033-2917
SN - 1469-8978
ER -