TY - JOUR

T1 - Costs of schizotypal disorder

T2 - A matched-controlled nationwide register-based study of patients and spouses

AU - Hastrup, Lene Halling

AU - Jennum, Poul

AU - Ibsen, Rikke

AU - Kjellberg, Jakob

AU - Simonsen, Erik

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Objective: Information on societal cost of patients with schizotypal disorder is limited. The aim was to investigate the societal costs of schizotypal disorder before and after initial diagnosis including both patients and their spouses. Methods: A register-based cohort study of 762 patients with incident schizotypal disorder (ICD-10; F21) including their spouses and 3048 matched controls, during 2002 to 2016. Total healthcare costs, home care costs, and costs of lost productivity of patients and spouses were included in the analysis. Results: Total costs amounted €47,215 per year for patients with schizotypal disorder, which was fifteen times higher than the matched controls. Of these, 41% were healthcare and home care costs and 59% were costs of lost productivity. Healthcare costs and costs of lost productivity were increased during five years before initial diagnosis of schizotypal disorder. Total costs of spouses to patients were €21,384 compared with € 2519 among spouses of controls. 75% of the total costs of spouses to patients were related to lost productivity. The total costs were higher than the costs of borderline personality disorder, but on the same level as the costs of schizophrenia identified in earlier comparable studies. Conclusions: The total societal costs of patients with schizotypal disorder drawn from national registers differed substantially from the controls representing the general population. As evidence-based recommendations for diagnoses and treatment of patients with schizotypal disorder do not exist, future research should focus on developing effective treatment for this group of patients to reduce cost of illness.

AB - Objective: Information on societal cost of patients with schizotypal disorder is limited. The aim was to investigate the societal costs of schizotypal disorder before and after initial diagnosis including both patients and their spouses. Methods: A register-based cohort study of 762 patients with incident schizotypal disorder (ICD-10; F21) including their spouses and 3048 matched controls, during 2002 to 2016. Total healthcare costs, home care costs, and costs of lost productivity of patients and spouses were included in the analysis. Results: Total costs amounted €47,215 per year for patients with schizotypal disorder, which was fifteen times higher than the matched controls. Of these, 41% were healthcare and home care costs and 59% were costs of lost productivity. Healthcare costs and costs of lost productivity were increased during five years before initial diagnosis of schizotypal disorder. Total costs of spouses to patients were €21,384 compared with € 2519 among spouses of controls. 75% of the total costs of spouses to patients were related to lost productivity. The total costs were higher than the costs of borderline personality disorder, but on the same level as the costs of schizophrenia identified in earlier comparable studies. Conclusions: The total societal costs of patients with schizotypal disorder drawn from national registers differed substantially from the controls representing the general population. As evidence-based recommendations for diagnoses and treatment of patients with schizotypal disorder do not exist, future research should focus on developing effective treatment for this group of patients to reduce cost of illness.

KW - epidemiology

KW - first episode

KW - health economy

KW - health service

KW - personality disorder

U2 - 10.1111/acps.13292

DO - 10.1111/acps.13292

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33650099

AN - SCOPUS:85102566914

VL - 144

SP - 60

EP - 71

JO - Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

JF - Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica

SN - 0001-690X

IS - 1

ER -