Behavioral conditions
Reduce health care costs related to
Reduce health care costs related to
anxiety disorders, depression and OCD
Resources
Disease Profile:
Behavioral Health
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America, consisting of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and phobias.
More than 19 million American adults are affected by these debilitating behavioral illnesses each year.
Many people suffer from more than one anxiety disorder.
OCD affects 3.3 million people in the U.S. and is equally common among men and women.
According to "The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders," anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one third of the $148 billion total mental health bill for the U.S.
More than $22 billion of those costs are associated with the repeated use of health care services, as those with anxiety disorders seek relief for symptoms that mimic physical illnesses.
People with anxiety disorders are three-to-five times more likely to visit their physician and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than non-sufferers.
In any given year, 9.5 percent of the population, or about 18.8 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness. The economic cost for this disorder is high and it often occurs in tandem with other diseases (co-morbidities), such as back/neck pain.
High-touch intervention
The Focused Health Program is designed to help adults and children diagnosed with anxiety, clinical depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) requiring medication. Enrollees work closely with their nurse managers (specializing in behavioral health) to identify symptoms, understand and remain compliant about their medications, adopt stress-reducing behaviors and focus on self-management to avoid hospital stays.
Results
Over time, enrollees report having:
- Fewer and/or less debilitating symptoms
- An easier time remaining compliant on their medications
- A greater sense of independence
- Reduced absences at work and school
- Enhanced knowledge about the interaction among nutrition, exercise, sleep and their condition
- Fewer behavioral health-related ER visits and hospital stays
Data excerpted from the National Institutes of Health, Psychiatric Disorders in America: the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, ECA and NCS data, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and NIMH ECA prospective data