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. 2016 Mar;42(2):476-83.
doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbv141. Epub 2015 Oct 3.

Prevalence, Employment Rate, and Cost of Schizophrenia in a High-Income Welfare Society: A Population-Based Study Using Comprehensive Health and Welfare Registers

Stig Evensen  1 , Torbjørn Wisløff  2 , June Ullevoldsæter Lystad  3 , Helen Bull  3 , Torill Ueland  4 , Erik Falkum  5
Affiliations

Prevalence, Employment Rate, and Cost of Schizophrenia in a High-Income Welfare Society: A Population-Based Study Using Comprehensive Health and Welfare Registers

Stig Evensen et al. Schizophr Bull. 2016 Mar.

Abstract

Schizophrenia is associated with recurrent hospitalizations, need for long-term community support, poor social functioning, and low employment rates. Despite the wide- ranging financial and social burdens associated with the illness, there is great uncertainty regarding prevalence, employment rates, and the societal costs of schizophrenia. The current study investigates 12-month prevalence of patients treated for schizophrenia, employment rates, and cost of schizophrenia using a population-based top-down approach. Data were obtained from comprehensive and mandatory health and welfare registers in Norway. We identified a 12-month prevalence of 0.17% for the entire population. The employment rate among working-age individuals was 10.24%. The societal costs for the 12-month period were USD 890 million. The average cost per individual with schizophrenia was USD 106 thousand. Inpatient care and lost productivity due to high unemployment represented 33% and 29%, respectively, of the total costs. The use of mandatory health and welfare registers enabled a unique and informative analysis on true population-based datasets.

Keywords: cost-of-illness; employment; prevalence; schizophrenia.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Employment rate per age group for the schizophrenia population and the general population. Employment = at least 1 hour competitive work per week.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Distribution of societal costs of schizophrenia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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