Major Depression (MD) is one a/the most common. and destructive psychiatric disorder causing psychological suffering, somatic discomfort, social impainnent, and increased mortality due to suicides and accidental deaths. Increasing rates in successively younger cohorts is the most striking result drawn from the epidemiological studies since the last decade. Because of its high prevalence and devastating effects on patients' and caregivers' quality of life, economic evaluations on the economic costs of MD have been proliferating to highlight the importance of the illness along with the more usual epidemiological data on morbidity and mortality. The Italian study on the economic burden of MD is the first study carried out in Italy. The principal aim is to estimate the economic costs of MD and the principal instrument used to gather cost data was a suitably designed questionnaire that was composed of two Parts. Part A retrospectively collected infonnation on health-care resources used (i) during previous depressive episodes and (ii) for the current depressive episode until referral to the public mental healthfacilities. Part B was used to collect and update information on health-care resources used since enrollment in the study. This paper focuses on the methodology used to carry out the study and presents results drawn from Part A which is thought to be relevant for a latter understanding of patients' consumption patterns and clinicians' prescribing behaviour. Results indicate that the direct cost of an episode of MD is relevant and does not differ substantially between patients with and without previous depressive episodes, although differences have been found among the specific cost components.
Metodologia di indagine e primi risultati sul costo sociale della depressione maggiore in Italia
TARRICONE, ROSANNA
1997
Abstract
Major Depression (MD) is one a/the most common. and destructive psychiatric disorder causing psychological suffering, somatic discomfort, social impainnent, and increased mortality due to suicides and accidental deaths. Increasing rates in successively younger cohorts is the most striking result drawn from the epidemiological studies since the last decade. Because of its high prevalence and devastating effects on patients' and caregivers' quality of life, economic evaluations on the economic costs of MD have been proliferating to highlight the importance of the illness along with the more usual epidemiological data on morbidity and mortality. The Italian study on the economic burden of MD is the first study carried out in Italy. The principal aim is to estimate the economic costs of MD and the principal instrument used to gather cost data was a suitably designed questionnaire that was composed of two Parts. Part A retrospectively collected infonnation on health-care resources used (i) during previous depressive episodes and (ii) for the current depressive episode until referral to the public mental healthfacilities. Part B was used to collect and update information on health-care resources used since enrollment in the study. This paper focuses on the methodology used to carry out the study and presents results drawn from Part A which is thought to be relevant for a latter understanding of patients' consumption patterns and clinicians' prescribing behaviour. Results indicate that the direct cost of an episode of MD is relevant and does not differ substantially between patients with and without previous depressive episodes, although differences have been found among the specific cost components.
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