Adherence to treatment for depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often a chronic, recurrent, and debilitating health problem with a lifetime prevalence of 16.2% and a 12-month prevalence of 6.6% in the USA [1]. Left untreated, depression can have a significant negative impact on a person's social, physical, and mental well-being and place an enormous burden on society. Patients with depression experience a higher incidence of premature death related to cardiovascular disease [2, 3] and are 4.5 times more likely to suffer a myocardial infarction than those without depression [3]. Depression in patients with diabetes is associated with increasing rates of vascular complications and increased mortality [4]. In terms of economic burden, the total cost of depression in the USA was estimated at $83.1 billion in 2000 [5]. Major contributors to depression-related cost were lost productivity and direct medical expenses, which accounted for $30-$50 billion each year [6]. Compared with nondepressed patients, health service costs for depressed patients are 50-100% greater, mainly due to higher overall medical utilization [7, 8]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
