This article presents results of a survey which has taken place between 1998-1999 in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Consortium in Psychiatric Epidemiology (ICPE). Data were collected using the Composite International Diagnostic Inter- view (CIDI) designed to cover the most common categories of non-organic mental disorders. Out of the 2 329 persons contacted, 1 534 (66 per cent) aged 18 to 79 participated in the survey. Results showed association between mental health and demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, marital status and locality). At least one mental disorders was detected in almost 27 per cent of persons (30 per cent of women); about 10 per cent of respondents, mostly women, reported having experienced more than one disorder at a time. The most frequently reported mental disorders were: neurotic disorders (18 per cent); mental disorders related to alcohol and tobacco abuse (13 per cent) and affective disorders (13 per cent). Neuroses were found to have the longest duration. The average age at the onset of a mental disorder was close to 25 years. Overall, mental disorders were most often diagnosed among women living in large cities. Data confirmed that the ability of other health specialists to diagnose mental disorders is limited.

        Key words: mental disorders, representative survey, CIDI, psychiatric epidemiology.