Symposium Paper
Psychiatric Disorders among Egyptian Pesticide Applicators and Formulators

https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.1997.3744Get rights and content

Abstract

Two hundred eight pesticide formulators, 172 pesticide applicators, and 223 control subjects (72 from an urban region matching the pesticide formulators and 151 from a rural area matching the pesticide applicators) underwent psychiatric assessment. The study aimed to screen for psychiatric morbidity using a standardized screening tool, the General Health Questionnaire, and a widely recognized system of diagnosis and classification, the revised third edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders(DSM-III-R). Significantly higher frequencies of psychiatric disorders were found in the exposed groups. The predominant diagnosis was depressive neurosis; the most frequent symptoms were irritability and erectile dysfunction. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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This work was supported by a fund from the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada, as a part of the Project of Pesticide Intoxication (Phases I and II) (1987–1997), supervised by M. M. Amr, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Occupational Diseases, Department of Occupational Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.

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