Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Treatment-Resistant Depression in Patients with MDD
Among individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), increased severity status is associated with incremental economic burden in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), a new study found. Adult patients with TRD were identified who were stratified into mild, moderate, and severe cohorts based on the information in the last observed MDD ICD-9-CM code. Healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs of moderate to severe cohorts were compared to those of the mild cohort during 2-year follow-up after the first antidepressant claim. Among the findings:
- Among 6,411 patients with TRD, 455 (7.1%) were identified as mild, 2,153 (33.6%) as moderate, and 1,455 (22.7%) as severe.
- Increased severity status was associated with incremental burden in patients with TRD.
- Inpatient admissions and outpatient visits were key drivers of incremental costs.
Pilon D, Sheehan JJ, Szukis H, et al. Is clinician impression of depression symptom severity associated with incremental economic burden in privately insured US patients with treatment resistant depression? [Published online ahead of print May 1, 2019]. J Affect Dis. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.100.