Common Mental Disorder Diagnosis and Need for Treatment are Not the Same: Findings from the NEMESIS Study

The study aimed to determine whether some depressive, anxiety, and substance-use (DAS) disorders are mild, transient cases that remit without treatment. The first two waves of the first Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study were used (age 18–64 years at baseline; wave two N = 5618). Mental disorders were assessed using CIDI 1.1. Past-year and past-month measures of DAS disorders, health service use, and quality of life were assessed at both waves. Individuals with a past-year DAS disorder who received no prior lifetime treatment were significantly more likely than those who received treatment to: (1) remit from their index disorder(s) without subsequent treatment, (2) be free of comorbid disorders, and (3) not have attempted suicide during follow-up (remission rates: 68.5 versus 32.0 %, respectively, p < 0.001). However, these individuals had lower quality of life compared to healthy individuals. Results were similar for past-month measures. Results show that many people who meet criteria for a DAS disorder remit without treatment. However, the lowered quality of life scores in this group nonetheless underscores the negative impact on the presence of residual symptoms.