David Cawthorpe1. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Community Health Services at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. cawthord@ucalgary.ca
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: A novel population-based health index was identified, in addition to calculation of the rates of psychiatric disorder in a random sample from a large urban center. METHODS: With use of the regional population as a sampling frame, 685,684 individuals (45.8% male) were selected randomly, with physician billing visit and cost data from 1994 to 2009 grouped on the basis of the presence or absence of a psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was described and the groups were further analyzed in terms of somatic and biomedical disorders with the profile of depression highlighted. RESULTS: In the sample (45.8% male), the annual prevalence of psychiatric disorder from 1994 to 2009 was found to increase in 3 age strata (children, 5.3%; adults, 4.4%; and geriatric subjects, 6.2%). Depressive disorders as a group provided an example of the population profile. The cumulative rate of psychiatric disorder was 53% over 16 fiscal years. In comparison with the group without psychiatric disorder, the median cost of physical (biomedical/somatic) disorders was 2.9 times higher for the group with any International Classification of Diseases psychiatric disorder. DISCUSSION: The arithmetic ratio of median somatic and biomedical health costs, comparing groups with and without psychiatric disorders, was presented as a novel population health index that holds the potential to directly measure the impact of promotion and prevention programs associated with psychiatric disorders.
INTRODUCTION: A novel population-based health index was identified, in addition to calculation of the rates of psychiatric disorder in a random sample from a large urban center. METHODS: With use of the regional population as a sampling frame, 685,684 individuals (45.8% male) were selected randomly, with physician billing visit and cost data from 1994 to 2009 grouped on the basis of the presence or absence of a psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was described and the groups were further analyzed in terms of somatic and biomedical disorders with the profile of depression highlighted. RESULTS: In the sample (45.8% male), the annual prevalence of psychiatric disorder from 1994 to 2009 was found to increase in 3 age strata (children, 5.3%; adults, 4.4%; and geriatric subjects, 6.2%). Depressive disorders as a group provided an example of the population profile. The cumulative rate of psychiatric disorder was 53% over 16 fiscal years. In comparison with the group without psychiatric disorder, the median cost of physical (biomedical/somatic) disorders was 2.9 times higher for the group with any International Classification of Diseases psychiatric disorder. DISCUSSION: The arithmetic ratio of median somatic and biomedical health costs, comparing groups with and without psychiatric disorders, was presented as a novel population health index that holds the potential to directly measure the impact of promotion and prevention programs associated with psychiatric disorders.