The research interests have two parallel elements. First, I use the epidemiologic framework to explain the risk factors, natural history, and consequences of major mental disorders. Second, I take the sociologic approach to understand the occurrence of the subset of bizarre behaviors that generally are labeled as psychiatric disorders. In the area of psychiatric epidemiology, I have conducted research on the incidence and natural history of schizophrenia using data from psychiatric case registers in several locations around the world. At the current time this research focuses on the relationship of family history of psychiatric disorders, obstetric complications, occurrence of physical disorders, and social factors, to risk for autism or schizophrenia. I have investigated common mental disorders, such as major depressive disorder and the anxiety disorders, in the context of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Followup, a twenty year cohort study. A somewhat surprising finding from that study was the degree to which major depressive disorder was predictive of the new occurrence of important physical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer. The sociologic approach has involved research on socioeconomic stratification and mental disorders, the social transmission of somatoform disorders, and other topics in sociology, as well as a textbook on the subject, now in its third edition. Future research will more explicitly integrate the social and biological aspects of human development.

"Mental Health", psychiatric epidemiology, sociology, depression, schizophrenia, natural history, Behavior and Health

ADAMHA Administrator's Award for Meritorious Performance, "for implementing the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program," 1980

Eli Robins Memorial Lecture, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University-St. Louis, 1998

Rema Lapouse Award, American Public Health Association, 2000

Erik Stromgren Award, 2005

Eaton, W. W. (2000). The Sociology of Mental Disorders. Third Edition. New York: Greenwood.

Eaton, W. W., & Kessler, L. G., Editors. (1985). Epidemiologic Field Methods in Psychiatry: The NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program. Orlando: Academic Press, Inc.

Eaton, William W., editor, Medical and Psychiatric Comorbidity Over the Course of Life, Washington, D.C., APPI Press, in press.

Eaton, William; Mortensen, Preben Bo; Agerbo, Esben; Byrne, Majella; Mors, Ole; Ewald, Henrik (2004) Coeliac disease and schizophrenia: population based case control study with linkage of Danish national registers, British Medical Journal, 328, 438-439.

Eaton, WW. (2002) The logic for a national conception-to-death cohort study, Annals of Epidemiology, 12, 445-451.

Eaton, WW., Muntaner, C., Bovasso, G., Smith, C.(2001) Socioeconomic status and depressive syndrome: the role of inter- and intra-generational mobility, government assistance, and work environment,) Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 42, 277-294.

Eaton, W.W., Harrison, G. (2001) Life chances, life planning, and schizophrenia: a review and interpretation of research on social deprivation, International Journal of Mental Health, 30, 58-81.

Fan, A. Eaton, WW. (2001) Longitudinal study assessing the joint effects of socioeconomic status and birth risks on adult emotional and nervous conditions, British Journal of Psychiatry, 178 (supplement), s78-s83.

Eaton, WW, Mortensen, PB, Frydenberg, M. (2000). Obstetric factors, urbanization, and psychosis, Schizophrenia Research. 43, 117-123.

Eaton, WW. Neufeld K. Chen L. Cai G. (2000). A Comparison of self-report and clinical diagnostic interviews for depression: DIS and SCAN in the Baltimore ECA Followup, Archives of General Psychiatry. 57, 217-222.

Chen, L-S, Eaton WW, Gallo, JJ, Nestadt G. (2000)Understanding the heterogeneity of depression through the triad of symptoms, course and risk factors: a longitudinal, population-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 59(1), 1-11.

Gallo JJ, Armenian H, Eaton WW, Khachaturian A. (2000). Major Depression and cancer: The 13-year follow-up of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area sample, Cancer Causes & Control, 11, 751-758.

Mausner-Dorsch, H., Eaton, W.W., (2000). Psychosocial work environment and depression: Epidemiologic assessment of the demand-control model, American Journal of Public Health, 90 (11) 1765-1770.

Eaton, W.W., Anthony, J.C., Gallo, J., Cai, G., Tien, A., Romanoski, A., Lyketsos, C., Chen, L. Natural history of DIS/DSM major depression: the Baltimore ECA Followup, Archives of General Psychiatry, 54: 993-999, 1997.

Eaton, WW, Armenian, HA, Gallo, J, Pratt, L, Ford DE. (1996) Depression and Risk for Onset of Type II Diabetes: A prospective, population based study. Diabetes Care, 19: 1097-1102.

Pratt, L, Ford, DE, Crum, RM, Armenian, HK, Gallo, JJ, Eaton, WW. (1996) Depression, psychotropic medication, and risk of myocardial infarction: prospective data from the Baltimore ECA Followup. Circulation, 94:3123-3129,1996

Eaton, W. W., Kessler, R. C., Wittchen, H., & Magee, W. J. (1994). Panic and panic disorder in the United States. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 413-420.

Eaton, W. W., Bilker, W., Haro, J. M., Herrman, H., Mortensen, P. B., Freeman, H., & Burgess, P. (1992). The Long-Term course of hospitalization for schizophrenia: Change in rate of hospitalization with passage of time. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 18, 185-207.

Eaton, W. W., Kramer, M., Anthony, J. C., Dryman, A., Shapiro, S., & Locke, B. Z. (1989). The incidence of specific DIS/DSM-III Mental Disorders: data from the NIMH Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 79, 163-178.

Eaton, W. W. (1985). The epidemiology of schizophrenia. Epidemiologic Reviews, 7, 105-126.

Eaton, W. W., Sigal, J. J., & and Weinfeld, M. (1982). Impairment in holocaust survivors after 33 years: data from an unbiased community sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 773-77.

Eaton, W. W., Regier, D. A., Locke, B. Z., & and Taube, C. A. (1981). The Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program of the NIMH. Public Health Reports, 96, 319-325.