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Limited studies have been conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on eating disorders (EDs). This study presents national epidemiological survey data on the prevalence and correlates of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED) and their association with other mental health disorders, impairment in role functioning, and individual help-seeking behaviors in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS).A face-to-face survey was conducted in a nationally representative household sample of Saudi citizens aged 15-65 (n = 4004). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0) was used to produce estimates of lifetime and 12-month prevalence and treatment of common DSM-IV mental disorders.Twelve-month prevalence of any of the three EDs was 3.2%; the overall lifetime prevalence was 6.1%. Education and marital status were significantly associated with both 12-month and lifetime EDs prevalence. Significant mental health comorbidities associated with 12-month EDs were anxiety, mood, and impulse-control disorders, while lifetime EDs were significantly related to all disorders. A similar percentage of respondents that reported having ED-related treatment at some point in their lifetime utilized healthcare and nonhealthcare sector. There was a significant relationship between body mass index category, and lifetime BED and BN.The 12-month prevalence of EDs in the Saudi population was higher than the EDs rates reported worldwide. These findings can help healthcare experts, and policymakers in the implementation of initiatives for raising awareness of EDs among the Saudi population, and the development of a country-wide plan for the prevention of EDs.The study presents data on the prevalence, correlates, and help-seeking behaviors of AN, BN, and BED, in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS). Obtaining information on this underrepresented region is essential due to the large differences in cross-national data in addition to cultural beliefs about mental illness and treatment seeking to exert an important influence on eating disorders. Such knowledge could provide a better understand of mechanisms underlying the development of eating disorders and thereby improve prediction, prevention, and treatment.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence and predictors of perceived helpfulness of treatment in persons with a history of DSM-IV social anxiety disorder (SAD), using a worldwide population-based sample.METHODS: The World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys is a coordinated series of community epidemiological surveys of non-institutionalized adults; 27 surveys in 24 countries (16 in high-income; 11 in low/middle-income countries; N = 117,856) included people with a lifetime history of treated SAD.RESULTS: In respondents with lifetime SAD, approximately one in five ever obtained treatment. Among these (n = 1322), cumulative probability of receiving treatment they regarded as helpful after seeing up to seven professionals was 92.2%. However, only 30.2% persisted this long, resulting in 65.1% ever receiving treatment perceived as helpful. Perceiving treatment as helpful was more common in female respondents, those currently married, more highly educated, and treated in non-formal health-care settings. Persistence in seeking treatment for SAD was higher among those with shorter delays in seeking treatment, in those receiving medication from a mental health specialist, and those with more than two lifetime anxiety disorders.CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of individuals with SAD do not receive any treatment. Among those who do, the probability that people treated for SAD obtain treatment they consider helpful increases considerably if they persisted in help-seeking after earlier unhelpful treatments.

Patient-reported helpfulness of treatment is an important indicator of quality in patient-centered care. We examined its pathways and predictors among respondents to household surveys who reported ever receiving treatment for major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or alcohol use disorder. Data came from 30 community epidemiological surveys - 17 in high-income countries (HICs) and 13 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) - carried out as part of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys. Respondents were asked whether treatment of each disorder was ever helpful and, if so, the number of professionals seen before receiving helpful treatment. Across all surveys and diagnostic categories, 26.1% of patients (N=10,035) reported being helped by the very first professional they saw. Persisting to a second professional after a first unhelpful treatment brought the cumulative probability of receiving helpful treatment to 51.2%. If patients persisted with up through eight professionals, the cumulative probability rose to 90.6%. However, only an estimated 22.8% of patients would have persisted in seeing these many professionals after repeatedly receiving treatments they considered not helpful. Although the proportion of individuals with disorders who sought treatment was higher and they were more persistent in HICs than LMICs, proportional helpfulness among treated cases was no different between HICs and LMICs. A wide range of predictors of perceived treatment helpfulness were found, some of them consistent across diagnostic categories and others unique to specific disorders. These results provide novel information about patient evaluations of treatment across diagnoses and countries varying in income level, and suggest that a critical issue in improving the quality of care for mental disorders should be fostering persistence in professional help-seeking if earlier treatments are not helpful.

Background: While global studies demonstrated that features of urban living are associated with the risk of developing mental disorders, there remains a significant knowledge gap surrounding this topic in the Middle East and North Africa region. Aims: This study aims to assess the prevalence, severity, correlates, and treatment of mental disorders in Riyadh City by examining certain aspects of urban living such as exposure to traumatic events, early exposure to urbanization, and seeking treatment. Methods: The Saudi National Mental Health Survey is a community epidemiological survey in a nationally representative sample of citizens aged 15 to 65 in KSA. The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3·0) was used to estimate the 12-month prevalence of common mental disorders. Results: The prevalence of any mental disorder in Riyadh City was 29.2%. The most common disorders were anxiety disorders and mood disorders. Female, young, and previously married respondents were at higher risk for developing mental disorders. Exposure to traumatic events was associated with all types of mental disorders. Only 2.9% of those with any mental disorder sought mental health treatments. Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of mental disorders in Riyadh City that could be attributed to certain features of urban living. These results may point to potential interventions in urban areas that can mitigate the adverse consequences of urban living and promote the salutogenic aspects of cities.

AIM: We examined prevalence and factors associated with receiving perceived helpful alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment, and persistence in help-seeking after earlier unhelpful treatment.METHODS: Data came from 27 community epidemiologic surveys of adults in 24 countries using the World Health Organization World Mental Health surveys (n = 93,843). Participants with a lifetime history of treated AUD were asked if they ever received helpful AUD treatment, and how many professionals they had talked to up to and including the first time they received helpful treatment (or how many ever, if they had not received helpful treatment).RESULTS: 11.8% of respondents with lifetime AUD reported ever obtaining treatment (n = 9378); of these, 44% reported that treatment was helpful. The probability of obtaining helpful treatment from the first professional seen was 21.8%; the conditional probability of subsequent professionals being helpful after earlier unhelpful treatment tended to decrease as more professionals were seen. The cumulative probability of receiving helpful treatment at least once increased from 21.8% after the first professional to 79.7% after the seventh professional seen, following earlier unhelpful treatment. However, the cumulative probability of persisting with up to seven professionals in the face of prior treatments being unhelpful was only 13.2%.CONCLUSION: Fewer than half of people with AUDs who sought treatment found treatment helpful; the most important factor was persistence in seeking further treatment if a previous professional had not helped. Future research should examine how to increase the likelihood that AUD treatment is found to be helpful on any given contact.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) does not become clinically manifest until adulthood. However, children and young adults have evidence of atheromatous lesions and fatty streaks in their aortas and coronary vessels. Most longitudinal studies in children are not designed to evaluate the dynamics of change in CVD risk factors. There is a need to describe the trajectory of CVD risk factors as growth processes, to better understand their relationships. This study assesses the associations between dietary variables and blood total cholesterol concentration (BTCC) among children and adolescents aged 8-18 years after adjustment for sexual maturation.There were 678 boys and girls aged 8, 11, and 14 years at baseline who were followed for up to 4 years, allowing the creation of a synthetic cohort analytically, from ages 8-18 years. Multilevel modeling was used to longitudinally assess BTCC, dietary intake, Tanner stage, and BMI.For every 1-mg/day increase in dietary cholesterol, BTCC increased by 0.012 mg/dL. However, no associations were evident between BTCC and dietary total fat, saturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, or monounsaturated fatty acids. In girls, none of the dietary variables was significantly associated with BTCC after controlling for Tanner stage for breast. In boys, with the exception of dietary cholesterol, no other dietary variable was significantly associated with BTCC after controlling for Tanner stage for genitalia.Sexual maturation exerts a strong influence on BTCC in children and adolescents aged 8-18 years, obscuring most associations between diet and BTCC. The inclusion of sexual maturity stage is important in studies of blood lipids among children and adolescents.