title: The economic cost of pathways to care in first episode psychosis.
abstract: Few studies have examined the economic cost of psychoses other than schizophrenia and there have been no studies of the economic cost of pathways to care in patients with their first episode of psychosis. The aims of this study were to explore the economic cost of pathways to care in patients with a first episode of psychosis and to examine variation in costs. Data on pathways to care for first episode psychosis patients referred to specialist mental health services in south-east London and Nottingham between 1997-2000. Costs of pathway events were estimated and compared between diagnostic groups. The average costs for patients in south-east London were £54 (CI £33-£75) higher, compared to patients in Nottingham. Across both centres unemployed patients had £25 (CI £7-£43) higher average costs compared to employed patients. Higher costs were associated with being unemployed and living in south-east London and these differences could not be accounted for by any single factor. This should be considered when the National Health Service (NHS) is making decisions about funding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, UK. Margaret.Heslin@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heslin
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCrone
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flach
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fearon
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dazzan
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doody
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy