Background: The study is aimed at assessing the costs before and after the diagnosis and the provision of effective treatment for panic disorder (PD), and the offset effect related to the psychiatric encounter.
Method: A 24-month prepost design was used to collect data on clinical status and health care services utilisation in a natural environment. The 61 PD patients' assessment included the SCID-UP, ratings on general functioning, improvement, severity of symptoms and level of disability. All health care services used and lost workdays were recorded.
Results: Both sociodemographic characteristics and the outcome show that this was a standard group of PD patients, who received effective treatment for their condition. The total direct costs of health care use during the previous year and the year after the diagnosis were, respectively, US$ 29,158 and US$ 46,256. The indirect costs of lost productivity were US$ 65,643 in period I and US$ 13,883 in period II.
Conclusions: A strong offset effect (94%) has been found in this study, significantly greater than the one described for psychiatric disorders as a whole. The costs of nondiagnosis are usually overlooked when estimating the global costs of PD. Methods for improving early detection of PD may substantially reduce the costs incurred before diagnosis.