Age at onset of mental disorders low in SG

In Singapore, about half of the adults with mood, anxiety or alcohol use disorders developed their illness by the age of 21 years, as reported in a study.

The analysis included a representative sample of 6,126 Singapore residents aged ≥18 years, with lifetime diagnoses of major depressive, bipolar, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and alcohol use disorders established via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Age at onset was divided into early or late using median values as cutoffs.

The mean age of the population was 45.6 years, comprising 50.5 percent women and 75.8 percent Chinese. The median age of onset for any of the five studied disorders was 21 years (interquartile range [IQR], 15–29). Obsessive compulsive disorder was found to have occurred the earliest, at a median age of 14 (IQR, 11–26).

Mood, anxiety, or alcohol use disorders were less likely to occur at age 35 years and higher than at age 18–34 years (≥35 years: odds ratio [OR], 0.287, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.154–0.534; 50–64 years: OR, 0.156, 95 percent CI, 0.068–0.361; ≥65 years; OR, 0.112, 95 percent CI, 0.027–0.461).

Early age of onset of any mental disorder was associated with Malay ethnicity (vs Chinese: OR, 2.319, 95 percent CI, 1.384–3.885) and being never married (vs married: OR, 2.731, 95 percent CI, 1.493–4.993).

Individuals with early versus late age of onset of any metal disorders had a lower health utility score (β, −0.06, 95 percent CI, −0.08 to −0.03) and higher number of days cut down on the type of work (β, 1.61, 95 percent CI, 0.12–3.10).

The findings indicate that early onset of mental disorders is associated with sociodemographic background and poor health outcomes. As such, prevention, early detection, and interventions to improve health outcomes should consider the sociodemographic profile and age at first onset of symptoms in the population.