Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2/2007

01-02-2007 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Economic costs of depression in China

Authors: Teh-wei Hu, PhD, Yanling He, MD, Mingyuan Zhang, MD, Ningshan Chen, MD

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 2/2007

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

A recent survey in China indicated the 12-month prevalence rate of depressive disorders was 2.5% in Beijing and 1.7% in Shanghai. These disorders may result in disability, premature death, and severe suffering of those affected and their families.

Aims

This study estimates the economic consequences of depressive disorders in China.

Methods

Depressive disorders can have both direct and indirect costs. To obtain direct costs, the research team interviewed 505 patients with depressive disorders and their caregivers in eight clinics/hospitals in five cities in China. Depression-related suicide rates were obtained from published literature. The human capital approach was used to estimate indirect costs. Epidemiological data were taken from available literature.

Results

The total estimated cost of depression in China is 51,370 million Renminbi (RMB) (or US $6,264 million) at 2002 prices. Direct costs were 8,090 million RMB (or US$ 986 million), about 16% of the total cost of depression. Indirect costs were 43,280 million RMB (or US$ 5,278 million), about 84% of the total cost of depression.

Conclusions

Depression is a very costly disorder in China. The application of an effective treatment—reducing the length of depressive episodes (or preventing episodes) and reducing suicide rates—will lead to a significant reduction in the total burden resulting from depressive disorders. Government policymakers should seriously consider further investments in mental health services.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
Guangji Hospital, Suzhou; Beijing Institute of Mental Health; Peking Union Medical College Hospital; Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University; Mental Health Institute, Xiang Ya Second Hospital of Central South University; Tongji University, Tongji Hospital; Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital; Shanghai Mental Health Center.
 
2
It should be noted that given the relatively low earnings in rural areas, the use of the human capital approach (lost earnings as a measure of lost productivity) may undervalue the high amount of depression-related suicides among the rural population.
 
Literature
1.
Murray C, Lopez A (eds) (1997) The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, 2000. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
2.
Cooper JE, Sartorius N (eds) (1996) Mental disorders in China: results of the national epidemiological survey in 12 areas. Gaskell, London
3.
Li SR, Shen YC, Zhang W, et al. (1998) Epidemiology survey on neurotic disorders in 7 areas of China. Chinese J Psychiatr [Chinese] 31:80
4.
Zhang WX, Shen YC, Li SR, et al. (1998) Epidemiological investigation on mental disorders in 7 areas of China. Chinese J Psychiatr [Chinese] 31:69–71
5.
Xiao Z, Yan H, Xiao S (1999) Depressive disorders among outpatients in general hospitals. Chung-Hua I Hsueh Tsa Chih – Chinese Med J [Chinese] 79:329–331
6.
Xiao L, Ji J, Zhang S, et al. (2000) A pilot survey of depressive symptoms and depression in a community of Shanghai. Chinese J Behavioral Med Sci [Chinese] 9:200–201
7.
World Health Organization–World Mental Health Survey Consortium (2004) Prevalence severity, and unmet need for treatment of mental disorders in the World Health Organization–World Mental Health Surveys. JAMA 291:2581–2590CrossRef
8.
Phillips M, Yang G, Zhang Y, et al. (2000) Risk factors for suicide in China: a national case control psychological autopsy study. Lancet 350:1728–1736
9.
Phillips M, Li X, Zhang Y (2002) Suicide rates in China, 1995–1999. Lancet 350:835–840CrossRef
10.
Hargreaves W, Shumway M, Hu TW, Cuffel B (1998) Cost-outcome methods for mental health. Academic Press, San Diego
11.
Gold MR, Russel LB, Siegel JE, Weinstein MC (eds) (1996) Cost-effectiveness in health and medicine. Oxford University Press, New York
12.
China Statistical Yearbook (2003) China national bureau of statistics, Beijing, China
13.
Andrews G, Sanderson K, Corry J, Lapsley H (2000) Using epidemiological data to model efficiency in reducing burden of depression. J Mental Health Policy Econ 3:175–186CrossRef
14.
Lim D, Sanderson K, Andrews G (2000) Lost productivity among full-time workers with mental disorders. J Mental Health Policy Econ 3:139–146CrossRef
15.
Hu TW (2006) An international review of the national costs of mental illness, 1990–2003. J Mental Health Policy Econ 9:3–13
16.
Kind P, Sorensen J (1993) The costs of depression. Int J Clin Pharmacol 7(3–4):191–195
17.
Rice DP, Miller LS (1998) Health economics and cost implications of anxiety and other mental disorders in the United States. Brit J Psychiatr Suppl 173:4–9CrossRef
18.
Greenberg P, Stiglin L, Finkelstein S, Bernd E (1993) The economic burden of depression in 1990. J Clin Psychiatr 54:405–418
19.
Greenberg P, Kessler R, Birnbaum H, Leong S, Lowe S, Berglund P, Corey-Lisle P (2003) The economic burden of depression in the United States: how did it change between 1990 and 2000? J Clin Psychiatr 64:1465–1475CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Economic costs of depression in China
Authors
Teh-wei Hu, PhD
Yanling He, MD
Mingyuan Zhang, MD
Ningshan Chen, MD
Publication date
01-02-2007
Publisher
D. Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 2/2007
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-006-0151-2

Other articles of this Issue 2/2007

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2/2007 Go to the issue

ORIGINAL PAPER

The Barents project in psychiatry: a systematic comparative mental health services study between Northern Norway and Archangelsk County

ORIGINAL PAPER

Transmission of violent offending and crime across three generations

ORIGINAL PAPER

Bipolar disorders in Australia

ORIGINAL PAPER

Parental lack of care and overprotection

ORIGINAL PAPER

An observational, “real life” trial of the introduction of assertive community treatment in a geographically defined area using clinical rather than service use outcome criteria

ORIGINAL PAPER

Diagnosis-related frequency of compulsory measures in 10 German psychiatric hospitals and correlates with hospital characteristics