title: Resource utilisation and costs of depressive patients in Germany: results from the primary care monitoring for depressive patients trial.
abstract: Background. Depression is the most common type of mental disorder in Germany. It is associated with a high level of suffering for individuals and imposes a significant burden on society. The aim of this study was to estimate the depression related costs in Germany taking a societal perspective. Materials and Methods. Data were collected from the primary care monitoring for depressive patients trial (PRoMPT) of patients with major depressive disorder who were treated in a primary care setting. Resource utilisation and days of sick leave were observed and analysed over a 1-year period. Results. Average depression related costs of €3813 were calculated. Significant differences in total costs due to sex were demonstrated. Male patients had considerable higher total costs than female patients, whereas single cost categories did not differ significantly. Further, differences in costs according to severity of disease and age were observed. The economic burden to society was estimated at €15.6 billion per year. Conclusion. The study results show that depression poses a significant economic burden to society. There is a high potential for prevention, treatment, and patient management innovations to identify and treat patients at an early stage.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krauth
authors.affiliation: Institute for Epidemiology, Social Medicine and Health System Research, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Street 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Jona T
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3087-2929
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Stahmeyer
authors.affiliation: Institute for General Practice, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliana J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Bachstraße 18, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freytag
authors.affiliation: Institute for General Practice, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Ferdinand M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.affiliation: Institute for General Practice, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany ; Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Bachstraße 18, 07743 Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gensichen