The study confirmed that child sexual abuse is a substantial risk factor for a range of mental disorders in both childhood and adulthood. A lifetime record of contact with public mental health services was found in 23.3 percent of cases compared to 7.7 percent of control subjects matched on gender and age groupings drawn from the general population. The rate of contact with public mental health services was 3.65 times higher (95 percent Cl, 3.09-4.32, p less than 0.001). Child sexual abuse was estimated to account for approximately 7.83 percent of mental health contacts. Having been sexually abused as a child increased a person's risk for the following mental health disorders: psychosis, affective disorder, anxiety, substance abuse, and personality disorders. Rates of clinical disorders diagnosed in adulthood and childhood remained significantly higher among those sexually abused as children. Individuals who were an older age when sexually abused and those victimized by severe sexual abuse that involved penetration or multiple offenders were at greater risk for psychopathology. These findings suggest that those treating victims of sexual abuse must assess not only disorders associated with trauma, but also low prevalence disorders such as psychosis. 4 tables and 61 references