Health Care Use Before Depression Diagnosis
Author Information
Author(s): Andersson David, Magnusson Henrik, Carstensen John, Borgquist Lars
Primary Institution: Linköping University
Hypothesis
Patients with a depression diagnosis would be heavy users of health care services, not only when first evaluated for depression, but also for preceding years.
Conclusion
Patients who received a diagnosis of depression used twice the amount of health care during the five-year period prior to diagnosis compared to the control group.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients with a depression diagnosis had a higher number of physician visits compared to controls.
- 60% of patients with a depression diagnosis suffered from musculoskeletal disorders.
- The year before diagnosis, health care costs for patients with depression were almost twice that of controls.
Takeaway
People who get diagnosed with depression often visit the doctor a lot more in the years before they are diagnosed, which means they might need help sooner.
Methodology
A longitudinal register-based study design was used, following 2470 patients diagnosed with depression and a control group over five years.
Potential Biases
Underreporting of psychiatric diagnoses in registers, especially in primary care.
Limitations
The quality of data and the broad clinical variation in defining depression may create bias.
Participant Demographics
Patients were predominantly female (64.1%) and included individuals aged 20 and older with varying socioeconomic statuses.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<.0001
Confidence Interval
1.72 (1.57 - 1.87)
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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