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Health care costs of borderline personality disorder and matched controls with major depressive disorder: a comparative study based on anonymized claims data

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Abstract

Background

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) pose a significant burden to the German health care system in terms of direct and indirect costs. The aim of this study was to determine the incremental costs that arise due to the treatment of patients with BPD, in relation to MDD patients adjusted for gender and age.

Methods

Insured persons who suffered from BPD (F60.3; N = 6599) or MDD (F32, F33; N = 26,396) in the year 2010 were identified from the German Health Risk Institute research database. To estimate the costs resulting from disorder-specific health care service utilization and the mean total costs per patient for the health care system, we analyzed anonymized claims data of individuals with BPD and matched individuals with MDD.

Results

The costs resulting from disorder-specific health care service utilization 1 year after index diagnosis amounted to 8508 EUR for BPD and 8281 EUR for MDD per patient utilizing services. With mean total annual costs per patient of 4636 EUR versus 2020 EUR 1 year preceding index diagnosis, 7478 EUR versus 3638 EUR in the year after index diagnosis, and 11,817 EUR versus 6058 EUR 2 years after index diagnosis, BPD patients incurred markedly higher costs.

Conclusions

Since the treatment of BPD causes incremental costs for the German health care system compared to the treatment of MDD, and since both conditions are associated with a high level of suffering, there is a need for establishing adequate and early treatment of these mental disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Technical University of Brunswick, Humboldtstraße 33, 38106, Brunswick, Germany

    Katharina Bode & Christoph Kröger

  2. Elsevier Health Analytics, Jägerstrasse 41, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Rolf Vogel

  3. InGef - Institute for Applied Healthcare Research Berlin (former Health Risk Institute), Spittelmarkt 12, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Rolf Vogel & Jochen Walker

Authors
  1. Katharina Bode
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  4. Christoph Kröger
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Correspondence to Katharina Bode.

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Bode, K., Vogel, R., Walker, J. et al. Health care costs of borderline personality disorder and matched controls with major depressive disorder: a comparative study based on anonymized claims data. Eur J Health Econ 18, 1125–1135 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-016-0858-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-016-0858-2

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