Epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in Edmonton. Phobic disorders.

3258 randomly selected adult household residents of the city of Edmonton were interviewed by trained lay interviewers using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). Using DMS-III criteria, hierarchy-free, the lifetime prevalence for all phobias was 8.9%. Rates for women (11.7%) were almost twice those for men (6.1%). The age at which first phobic symptoms had been reported by 50% of subjects was 12 years for men and 6 years for women. High rates of comorbidity with depression, alcohol abuse/dependence, drug abuse/dependence and obsessive-compulsive disorder were found in all types of phobia, an important point in clinical management.