WHAT DOES TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION REALLY COST

This DataWatch presents estimates of the health care charges for adult s who are diagnosed and treated for depression in primary care. More t han nine out of ten of these adults sought care for at least one nonde pressive illness during the year following treatment initiation. On av erage, these conditions accounted for more than 70 percent of the tota l charges. Attempts to manage the costs of caring for depressed person s must consider the impact of nondepressive illness.