Identifying the prevalence of common mental and behavioral disorders is essential for the scientific planning of medical and community-based mental health services. Although national prevalence studies were conducted in Mongolia in 1995 and 2013, their results remain unpublished internationally, which provides the rationale for this paper.
A population- and household-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in two stages from September 1 to November 1, 2013. Ethical approval was granted by the Medical Ethics Review Committee of the Ministry of Health (Resolution No. 1, September 27, 2011). Data from participants aged 18–64 were analyzed using descriptive and advanced statistics via SPSS 24.0.
The study sampled 11,746 individuals (49.1% male, 50.8% female; mean age: 39.58±12.5 years) across 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar and 53 soums of 11 provinces. The prevalence of common mental disorders was: anxiety disorder 18.4% (n=2,163), inorganic sleep disorder 17.5% (n=2,059), chronic fatigue 16.2% (n=1,098), medically unexplained physical symptoms 11.9% (n=1,403), alcohol dependence 6.4% (n=753), and depressive disorder 6.2% (n=734). Per 1,000 population, the prevalence rates were 184.1 for anxiety, 175.3 for sleep disorders, 162.4 for chronic fatigue, 119.4 for unexplained physical symptoms, 64.1 for alcohol dependence, and 62.5 for depression.
The 2013 survey established the baseline prevalence of key mental disorders in Mongolia, highlighting high rates of anxiety and sleep disorders. Given that 13 years have passed since this assessment, there is an urgent need to conduct a follow-up study to update the epidemiological data and trends of common mental disorders.