Depression frequently causes unemployment , absenteeism , and presenteeism , which results in significantly reduced productivity .
Improving patients ' compliance with their antidepressant medication results in improved outcomes and prolongs remission from depression , increasing work productivity , and thus reducing overall costs .
The implementation of remote enhanced-care programs may improve compliance and reduce overall costs .
In conclusion , depression is a common disorder with a high economic impact .
Enhanced-care programs may lower costs associated with depression and improve patients ' lives
This systematic review examines the economic and human costs of depression and the potential savings associated with improvement in patient adherence to treatment with antidepressants through the use of enhanced-care programs .
Cost-effectiveness of a collaborative care program for primary care patients with persistent depression.
OBJECTIVE The authors evaluated the incremental cost-effectiveness of stepped collaborative care for patients with persistent depressive symptoms after usual primary care management .  METHOD Primary care patients initiating antidepressant treatment completed a st and ardized telephone assessment 6 - 8 weeks after the initial prescription . Those with persistent major depression or significant subthreshold depressive symptoms were r and omly assigned to continued usual care or collaborative care . The collaborative care included systematic patient education , an initial visit with a consulting psychiatrist , 2 - 4 months of shared care by the psychiatrist and primary care physician , and monitoring of follow-up visits and adherence to medication regimen . Clinical outcomes were assessed through blinded telephone assessment s at 1 , 3 , and 6 months . Health services utilization and costs were assessed through health plan cl aims and accounting data . RESULTS Patients receiving collaborative care experienced a mean of 16.7 additional depression-free days over 6 months . The mean incremental cost of depression treatment in this program was $ 357 . The additional cost was attributable to greater expenditures for antidepressant prescriptions and outpatient visits . No off setting decrease in use of other health services was observed . The incremental cost-effectiveness was $ 21.44 per depression-free day . CONCLUSIONS A stepped collaborative care program for depressed primary care patients led to substantial increases in treatment effectiveness and moderate increases in costs . These findings are consistent with those of other r and omized trials . Improving outcomes of depression treatment in primary care requires investment of additional re sources , but the return on this investment is comparable to that of many other widely accepted medical interventions
Depression frequently causes unemployment , absenteeism , and presenteeism , which results in significantly reduced productivity .
Improving patients ' compliance with their antidepressant medication results in improved outcomes and prolongs remission from depression , increasing work productivity , and thus reducing overall costs .
The implementation of remote enhanced-care programs may improve compliance and reduce overall costs .
In conclusion , depression is a common disorder with a high economic impact .
Enhanced-care programs may lower costs associated with depression and improve patients ' lives
This systematic review examines the economic and human costs of depression and the potential savings associated with improvement in patient adherence to treatment with antidepressants through the use of enhanced-care programs .