Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefit of achieving remission among outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are currently employed in Korea.MethodsCross-sectional observational study. A total of 337 outpatients with MDD with paid jobs were recruited from 14 psychiatric clinics in Korea and were then divided into three groups as follows: new visit group (n = 128), remitted group (n = 100) and non-remitted group (n = 109). The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) was used to decide whether a patient should be assigned to the remitted or non-remitted group. Direct medical and non-medical costs were measured via interview with the subjects. The World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were applied in order to measure the lost productive time (LPT) and related productivity costs.ResultsThe three groups did not show a significant difference in direct medical cost. However, the difference between the remitted group and non-remitted group was statistically significant (25.49 ± 52.99 vs. 44.79 ± 126.55, χ2 = 12.99, p = 0.0015). The remitted group demonstrated a significant improvement in productivity (particularly presenteeism) when compared with the new visit group (Z = −3.29, p = 0.001). Although the non-remitted group received treatment at psychiatric clinics similar to the remitted group, it lost 33 more working hours per month, which is compatible to $332 per month.ConclusionThese results suggest the economic importance of achieving remission in treating depression.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefit of achieving remission among outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are currently employed in Korea
Many studies use the concept of “lost productive time” (LPT), which consists of “absenteeism” and “presenteeism.” Absenteeism refers to the LPT caused by hours or days missed from work [2]
The remitted group showed the lowest Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) score and Depression and Somatic Symptoms Scale (DSSS) score among the three groups (Table 1)
Summary
The purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefit of achieving remission among outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are currently employed in Korea. The economic burden from depression can be assessed by measuring direct costs, including medical and nonmedical expenses (i.e., transportation) and productivity costs, focusing on the wage loss at work. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the major mental health conditions among adults and has been shown to have a large impact on work productivity [3,4]. LPT from presenteeism has been shown to exceed LPT from absenteeism, according to a recent study performed in Korea [4]
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