title: The Economic Burden of PTSD in Northern Ireland.
abstract: The objective of this study was to estimate the economic costs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among the Northern Ireland (NI) adult population. The authors present a prevalence-based, bottom-up study based primarily on data from 1,986 participants in the Northern Ireland Study of Health and Stress (NISHS). Both direct costs of treatment and indirect costs of productivity losses were included. Units of service and medication resource use were obtained from the NISHS and combined with their relevant unit costs from the Personal Social Services Research Unit and Prescription Costs Analysis data for NI. Indirect costs included the costs of incapacity days due to PTSD and presenteeism costs, with gender-specific wage rates used as the relevant unit costs. The total direct and indirect cost of PTSD in NI (2008) was £172,756,062. This figure is likely to be conservative due to the exclusion of a number of cost categories. Nevertheless, comparison of estimates of the burden of PTSD with the estimated cost of treating all adults with PTSD with the recommended treatments shows the potential for substantial economic gains to be made through extension and investment in effective evidence-based treatments.
authors.affiliation: Administrative Data Research Centre Northern Ireland/Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Finola R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Ferry
authors.affiliation: Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Sharon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.affiliation: Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Brendan P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Bunting
authors.affiliation: Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Samuel D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: The Initiative for Conflict-Related Trauma, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.affiliation: Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Well Being, University of Ulster, Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Siobhan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004180:Direct Service Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D000069597:Presenteeism / Q000191:economics; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult