Economic costs of antidepressant use: a population-based study in Sweden.

DISCUSSION AND LIMITATIONS: Groups with relatively low socioeconomic status are at risk of higher costs for antidepressant use. However, given the Swedish system of drug subsidies, differences in financial burden for individuals are minor. The limitations of this study included that we lacked data on diagnosis and could therefore not categorize the reasons for AD consumption. Furthermore, our results may not be generalized to other countries with a lower AD prevalence then Sweden's, since our estimates are dependent on the point prevalence of antidepressant use in the population. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVISION AND USE: Groups with higher AD consumption and economic costs may suffer from more severe depression owing to more risk factors and less social support in their surroundings, and may be in greater need of additional treatment and support than other groups. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES AND FURTHER RESEARCH: Our results offer insight at an aggregate level, and more information on the underlying causes of higher costs is needed to discern the policy implications. PMID: 32058977 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics - Category: Psychiatry Tags: J Ment Health Policy Econ Source Type: research