Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults: results from a 2022 web panel
Authors: Chodavadia Parth , Teo Irene , Poremski Daniel , Fung Daniel Shuen Sheng , Finkelstein Eric Andrew 
Published: February 2023

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are leading causes of disability and premature mortality. At a global level, over 300 million people are estimated to suffer from major depressive disorders, equivalent to 4·4% of the world’s population. Pandemic era stressors have increased rates for depression and anxiety by upwards of 25%. The goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms in Singapore after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

An existing web panel was queried between April 2022 and June 2022. Adult participants aged > 21 years old who screened positive for depression and anxiety symptoms based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) Screener were eligible for participation. Prevalence estimates were quantified by dividing the number of respondents who screened positive for these symptoms by the total number of respondents. Participants who screened positive were asked about healthcare utilization, days missed from work, and reduced productivity due to these symptoms. These values were then monetized and scaled based on prevalence and population counts to generate per capita and total annual costs.

Results

Two thousand three hundred forty-eight respondents filled out the PHQ-4 depression/anxiety screener on behalf of the 5,725 adults living in their households (including respondents themselves). Prevalence estimates were calculated based on the responses recorded for these 5,725 adults. 14.1% adults had symptoms consistent with depression and 15.2% had symptoms consistent with anxiety. In total, 20.0% may experience symptoms consistent with at least one of these two conditions, yet approximately half reported never being formally diagnosed. 350 respondents screened positive for depression or anxiety symptoms and thus were eligible to fill out the healthcare utilization, presenteeism, and absenteeism survey. Direct annual healthcare costs due to depression and anxiety symptoms averaged Singapore dollar (SGD) $1,050 for these respondents. The employed subset (n = 304) missed an extra 17.7 days of work on average per year, which translates to SGD $4,980 per worker. These workers also reported being ~ 40% less productive at work, which equates to SGD $28,720 in economic losses annually. In total, these symptoms caused SGD $15.7 billion in increased costs. Presenteeism accounts for 81.6% of this total (SGD $12.8 billion), absenteeism for 14.2% (SGD $2.3 billion) and healthcare accounts for 4.2% (SGD $0.7 billion).

Conclusions

The health and economic burden associated with depression and anxiety symptoms is large in Singapore, representing 2.9% of Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP). Employers and governments should look to identify effective remediation strategies, including strategies to address the high rates of undiagnosed cases. Increasing psychiatric resources, general practitioner mental health competency, access to peer support, and increased efforts to reduce mental health stigma should be considered to address this growing public health crisis.