A Follow-up Study of Psychiatric Disturbance in a Cape Coloured Community

Longitudinal studies of psychiatric disturbance in communities are important in order to determine the natural history of mental disorders. Most studies have focused on the prevalence of known psychiatric disorders and response to treatment, but only a few on the follow up of a population not previously recognized as psychiatrically ill (Beiser (1), Hagnell (5), Helgason (6), Myers and Bean (10)). The present study is an attempt to do this, and also to follow up untreated disorder within a community.