Hu Teh-wei, He Yanling, Zhang Mingyuan, Chen Ningshan
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007 Feb;42(2):110-6. doi: 10.1007/s00127-006-0151-2. Epub 2007 Jan 17.
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.
This study estimates the economic consequences of depressive disorders in China.
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.
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.
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.
近期在中国开展的一项调查表明，抑郁症的12个月患病率在北京为2.5%，在上海为1.7%。这些疾病可能导致残疾、过早死亡，并给患者及其家庭带来巨大痛苦。
本研究估算中国抑郁症的经济后果。
抑郁症会产生直接和间接成本。为获取直接成本，研究团队在中国五个城市的八家诊所/医院对505名抑郁症患者及其照料者进行了访谈。与抑郁症相关的自杀率来自已发表的文献。采用人力资本法估算间接成本。流行病学数据取自现有文献。
按2002年价格估算，中国抑郁症的总成本为513.7亿元人民币（或62.64亿美元）。直接成本为80.9亿元人民币（或9.86亿美元），约占抑郁症总成本的16%。间接成本为432.8亿元人民币（或52.78亿美元），约占抑郁症总成本的84%。
在中国，抑郁症是一种成本高昂的疾病。应用有效的治疗方法——缩短抑郁发作时长（或预防发作）并降低自杀率——将显著减轻抑郁症造成的总体负担。政府政策制定者应认真考虑进一步投资于心理健康服务。
