The annual cost of bipolar disorder to UK society.

Author: R Das Gupta & JF Guest.
Source: British Journal of Psychiatry 2002; 180: 227-233.

ABSTRACT

Background: The socio-economic impact of bipolar disorder in the UK is unknown.

Aims: To estimate the annual socioeconomic burden imposed by bipolar disorder on UK society.

Method: The annual cost of resource use attributable to managing bipolar disorder was calculated. Indirect societal costs were also calculated.

Results: The annual National Health Service (NHS) cost of managing bipolar disorder was estimated to be £199 million, of which hospital admissions accounted for 35%. The annual direct non-health-care cost was estimated to be £86 million annually and the indirect societal cost was estimated to be £1770 million annually.

Conclusions: The annual cost to UK society attributable to bipolar disorder was estimated to be £2 billion at 1999/2000 prices (estimated 297 000 people with the disorder). Ten per cent of this cost is attributable to NHS resource use, 4% to non-health-care resource use and 86% to indirect costs.