Abstract
Background:
Studies of the impact of mental disorders on educational attainment are rare in both high-income and low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.
Aims:
To examine the association between early-onset mental disorder and subsequent termination of education.
Method:
Sixteen Countries taking part in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative were Surveyed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (n=41 688). Survival models were used to estimate associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and subsequent non-attainment of educational milestones.
Results:
In high-income countries, prior substance use disorders were associated with non-completion at all stages of education (OR 1.4-15.2). anxiety disorders (OR=1.3), mood disorders (OR=1.4) and impulse control disorders (OR=2.2) were associated with early termination of secondary education. In LAMI Countries, impulse control disorders (OR=1.3) and substance use disorders (OR=1.5) were associated with early termination of secondary education.
Conclusions:
Onset of mental disorder and subsequent non-completion of education are consistently associated in both high-income and LAMI Countries. British Journal of Psychiatry, 194(5),411-417.

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