Abstract
This study identified differences in hospital utilization for mental health problems among depressed patients initially treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). A retrospective sample of 2,557 patients was obtained from a private insurance claims database. Quasi-experimental, two-stage multivariate regression modeling was used to estimate the likelihood of hospitalization and subsequent inpatient expenditures. Only 2% of the sample were hospitalized, and the average expenditures per admitted patient was about $8,000. Patients initially prescribed sertraline had the same likelihood of hospitalization for a mental health problem as patients prescribed TCAs. Patients initially prescribed fluoxetine were half as likely to be hospitalized as patients initially prescribed TCAs. Once hospitalized, no differential effects of a specific antidepressant on inpatient expenditures were found.
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Croghan, T.W., Kniesner, T.J., Melfi, C.A. et al. Effect of Antidepressant Choice on the Incidence and Economic Intensity of Hospitalization Among Depressed Individuals. Adm Policy Ment Health 27, 183–195 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021305301408
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021305301408