Prevalence and correlates of psychotic-like experiences in the general population

Abstract

Background: To what extent Psychotic Like Experiences (PLEs) are associated with nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders and whether the number of PLEs is associated with higher rates of psychiatric disorders remains unclear.

Methods: The sample was composed of 34,653 civilian participants, aged 18 years and older from wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). This was a representative sample of the non-institutionalized U.S.

Population: Twenty-two PLEs were assessed. Lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders (any mood, anxiety, substance use and personality disorders, PTSD, ADHD, and suicide attempts) according to the number of PLEs were calculated.

Results: Almost a third (26.69%) of respondents reported experiencing at least one type of PLEs. There was a gradual association between the number of PLEs and the presence of a nonpsychotic psychiatric disorder (ranging from 5.68%in participants with no PLEs up to 99.53% in those with five or more PLEs). This association with PLE was significant for each of the 25 psychiatric disorders examined regardless of the number of PLEs. Lifetime prevalence of PLEs were significantly higher among the younger respondents, women, non-married, unemployed, high educational level and those with low family income.

Conclusion: There is a gradual increase in the magnitude of the association of the numbers of PLEs for each of the 25 nonpsychotic psychiatric disorders examined. Having at least one PLE is strongly associated with the presence of a psychiatric disorder.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Population studies; Psychiatry; Psychotic.