This chapter provides a brief introduction to some of the epidemiologic and statistical methods for, and challenges to, gathering and analyzing the data that underlie the research presented in this volume and in the field of public mental health as a whole. The chapter is not intended as a general introduction to epidemiologic and statistical methods, but focuses more specifically on some of the data and methodological complexities particularly common in public mental health research. Three fundamental types of questions relevant to public mental health are discussed in particular: (1) estimating rates of disorders in a population across people, places, and time; (2) examining risk and protective factors associated with particular disorders; and (3) exploring and understanding the effects of interventions to prevent disorders or to treat them once they emerge.
