Burden of illness.
The burden of affective disorders includes costs and the pain and suffering of affected individuls. Burden can be perceived from social and private perspectives. Although no ideal measure of burden exists, ample evidence documents the extensive cost and other negative impacts of affective disorders. Affective disorders are associated with disruptive family relations, higher health care costs for comorbid conditions, elevated rates of suicide, and lower productivity. Reserch should focus on improving measures of burden in general and on quantifying burden from the standpoint of diverse population groups.
McGuire
Tom
T
Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5899, USA. mcguire@hcp.med.harvard.edu
Wells
Kenneth B
KB
Bruce
Martha L
ML
Miranda
Jeanne
J
Scheffler
Richard
R
Durham
Mary
M
Ford
Daniel E
DE
Lewis
Lydia
L
D017281:Cost of Illness; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000503:physiopathology; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D012106:Research; D014481:United States