Effect of Reliable Recovery on Health Care Costs and Productivity Losses in Emotional Disorders

Behav Ther. 2024 May;55(3):585-594. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2023.08.012. Epub 2023 Sep 10.ABSTRACTDespite the high economic costs associated with emotional disorders, relatively few studies have examined the variation in costs according to whether the patient has achieved a reliable recovery. The aim of this study was to explore differences in health care costs and productivity losses between primary care patients from a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT)-PsicAP-with emotional symptoms who achieved a reliable recovery and those who did not after transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy (TD-CBT) plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Sociodemographic and cost data were obtained for 134 participants treated at five primary care centers in Madrid for the 12-month posttreatment period. Reliable recovery rates were higher in the patients who received TD-CBT + TAU versus TAU alone (66% vs. 34%, respectively; chi-square = 13.78, df = 1, p < .001). Patients who did not achieve reliable recovery incurred more costs, especially associated with general practitioner consultations (t = 3.01, df = 132, p = .003), use of emergency departments (t = 2.20, df = 132, p = .030), total health care costs (t = 2.01, df = 132, p = .040), and sick leaves (t = 1.97, df = 132, p = .048). These findings underscore the societal importance of achieving a reliable recovery in patients with emotional disorders, and further support the value of adding TD-CBT to TAU in the primary care setting...
Source: Behavior Therapy - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Source Type: research