Category Archives: psychiatric illness

The Cost of Depression

Unipolar major depressive disorder is a common, pervasive, and debilitating disease. Nearly one in five people will experience at least one episode of depression during their lifetime. In the United States alone, 16 million Americans – or, approximately 6.7% of the total population – will experience a depressive episode over the next 12 months(1). The symptoms of depression, which are akin to hibernation, negatively impact the lives of patients and their families, causing significant burden. Worldwide, depression causes more years lost to disability than any other disease(2). This is because depression usually impacts people early in their lives, and presents with a relapsing-remitting or a chronic course over their lifetime. Financially speaking, around $200 billion dollars a year is spent on the societal burden of depression in the United States(3). This total is higher than the burden of most other disorders. For comparison, the annual societal cost for cancer is around $131 billion dollars, and the cost for diabetes is around $173 billion dollars. Treatment-resistant depression, in particular, disproportionally accounts for a very large portion of the financial burden of depression, costing upwards of $48 billion yearly(3). Patients with depression, and especially those with treatment-resistant depression, will have decreased productivity in the workplace and at home, increased morbidity and mortality for medical conditions, as well as increased costs to the health care system through specialized treatment and services. This burden underscores the crippling effect of depression – especially treatment-resistant depression – on both patients and society, as a whole.

SOURCE:   Depression Cost

  1. Kessler, R.C., et al., Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2005. 62(6): p. 617-27.
  2. Smith, K., Mental health: a world of depression. Nature, 2014. 515(7526): p. 181.
  3. Mrazek, D.A., et al., A review of the clinical, economic, and societal burden of treatment-resistant depression: 1996-2013.Psychiatr Serv, 2014. 65(8): p. 977- 87.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Psychiatric Illness

Supplementation might help patients with depression, seasonal mood disturbances

In the United States, >50% of psychiatric inpatients have vitamin D deficiency—<30 nmol/L (<12 ng/mL).1 A growing body of literature has found associations between vitamin D deficiency and psychiatric illnesses, particularly depression. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation can benefit depression symptoms. In this article, we discuss the current literature on vitamin D and psychiatric illness, and provide practical information for clinicians on the use of vitamin D supplementation.

SOURCE:  vd-depression

Bottom Line Low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression, cognitive dysfunction, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Evidence also suggests a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and psychotic disorders. It is not clear whether vitamin D deficiency is a cause or effect of depression. Limited research suggests vitamin D supplementation might have a role in treating depression and SAD.