July 1, 2009

Depression and Costs of Health Care

The difference between health care for individuals who are depressed compared to those who are not varies greatly; those with depression have a higher per- patient annual non-mental health costs than patients without depression. Studies outlined that global disease burden will be more than half of the global population in 2020. This is a standing issue as health care for global diseases is highly expensive.

The article conducts an experiment on the association between depression and cost of non-mental health care in eleven chronic comorbid diseases. Results showed that depressed patients had more costs than any of the other eleven comorbid diseases, some including obesity and epilepsy. Researchers continually look for a way to reduce this cause and create a healthier environment for years to come.