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Objective: To study the prevalence and demographic characteristics of mood disorders among Iranian adults.

Method: In this cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study (age> 18) in Iran, 25180 individuals were selected through a randomized cluster sampling method for a diagnosis using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS). They were then interviewed at home by 250 trained clinical psychologists.

Results: The estimated lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Minor Depressive Disorder (mDD) were 3.1% and 0.3% respectively. Also, the estimated lifetime prevalence of Bipolar Mood disorder (BMD) type I and type II were 0.1% and 0.7% respectively. The current prevalence of MDD, mDD, BMD-I, and BMD-II were 1.8%, 0.2%, 0.04%, and 0.3% respectively. Mood disorders were associated with female gender, lower education, being married, being middle-aged, living in cities, and not being a homemaker.

Conclusion: The prevalence of mood disorders was lower among Iranian adults than reported in Western studies, and a number of demographic associations differed from those reported in Western studies. Important cultural differences in the nature or manifestation of depression are implied by these results.