Biomedical subjects

Mary Durham

Publications and source records attributed to Mary Durham.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Overcoming barriers to reducing the burden of affective disorders.

Affective disorders impose a substantial individual and societal burden. Despite availability of efficacious treatments and practice guidelines, unmet need remains high. To reduce unmet need and the burden of affective disorders, information is needed on the distribution of burden across stakeholders, on barriers to reducing burden, and on interventions that effectively reduce burden at the levels of practice, community, and policy. This article provides the report of the Working Group on Overcoming Barriers to Reducing the Burden of Affective Disorders, for the National Institute of Mental Health Strategic Plan on Mood Disorders. We review the literature, identify key gaps, and recommend new research to guide national efforts to reduce the burden of affective disorders.

Community Health Services↗

PubMed2002

Burden of illness.

The burden of affective disorders includes costs and the pain and suffering of affected individuls. Burden can be perceived from social and private perspectives. Although no ideal measure of burden exists, ample evidence documents the extensive cost and other negative impacts of affective disorders. Affective disorders are associated with disruptive family relations, higher health care costs for comorbid conditions, elevated rates of suicide, and lower productivity. Reserch should focus on improving measures of burden in general and on quantifying burden from the standpoint of diverse population groups.

Cost of Illness↗

PubMed2002

Policy intervention.

This paper addresses market failure due to externalities, as well as information asymmetries and public policy problems that need to be solved to ensure high quality care for affective disorders. We delineate the problems in parity legislation, managed care, as well as Medicare and Medicaid that need to be addressed to reduce the burden of illness affective disorders. A research agenda is developed for formulating and implementing public policy.

Cost of Illness↗