* Between 1989 and 1992, the average length of disability for depression was 40 days, which was longer than the average duration for many other chronic ailments, including low back pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other mental health conditions.
* In terms of medical claims, an average of 11% of all First Chicago medical plan costs were connected to mental health. The cost for depression was the single largest component of mental health claims. Medical claims for depression were very high in 1991 totalling $930,000, second only to $1,200,000 for heart disease.
* Depressive illnesses accounted for more than half (52%) of all mental health medical plan claims for employees, spouses, and dependents. Although the cost figures establish the significance of depressive disorders in a corporate medical plan, a discussion of the study's findings stated, "...there is reason to believe that they represent an underestimate. Given the tendency by primary care physicians to misdiagnose depressive disorders and to substitute medical diagnoses for mental health problems, additional costs for depressive disorders are most likely hidden in claims for physical medicine."
* Employees with depressive disorders represented the largest group of those who requested EAP services. 19% of EAP intakes had diagnostic impressions of depressive disorders. Other leading diagnostic categories included substance abuse disorders (8%), anxiety disorders (7%), and adjustment disorders (6%).
Figure 10. Charting direct cost components: Look at the top three of the company's 10 most costly diseases: Outpatient medical payments are in a fairly close range, hospital payments are the biggest component of heart disease and cancer carte, and short-term disability drives mental illness costs.
