The economic burden of mental disorders among adults in Singapore: evidence from the 2016 Singapore Mental Health Study

Abdin, Edimansyah; Chong, Siow Ann; Ragu, Vithiya; Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Verma, Swapna; Ganesan, Ganga; Tan, Kelvin Bryan; Heng, Derrick; Subramaniam, Mythily

doi:10.1080/09638237.2021.1952958

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…To assess whether our prevalence estimates are credible, we compared them to an in-person household survey conducted by the Singapore Institute of Mental Health (IMH) aimed to quantify diagnosed prevalence of these and other mental health conditions prior to COVID-19. Using the WHO-CIDI 3.0, which requires a more stringent criteria to conform these conditions, they found one year prevalence of MDD to be 2.3% and GAD at 0.8%, which are markedly lower than our estimates [18]. However, household survey data from countries in the region have yielded prevalence rates between 4.8% and 8.1% for MDD and GAD, suggesting that respondents in Singapore may be under-reporting mental health conditions [19,20].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults: results from a 2022 web panel

et al. 2023

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Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are leading causes of disability and premature mortality. At a global level, over 300 million people are estimated to suffer from major depressive disorders, equivalent to 4·4% of the world’s population. Pandemic era stressors have increased rates for depression and anxiety by upwards of 25%. The goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms in Singapore after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An existing web panel was queried between April 2022 and June 2022. Adult participants aged > 21 years old who screened positive for depression and anxiety symptoms based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) Screener were eligible for participation. Prevalence estimates were quantified by dividing the number of respondents who screened positive for these symptoms by the total number of respondents. Participants who screened positive were asked about healthcare utilization, days missed from work, and reduced productivity due to these symptoms. These values were then monetized and scaled based on prevalence and population counts to generate per capita and total annual costs. Results Two thousand three hundred forty-eight respondents filled out the PHQ-4 depression/anxiety screener on behalf of the 5,725 adults living in their households (including respondents themselves). Prevalence estimates were calculated based on the responses recorded for these 5,725 adults. 14.1% adults had symptoms consistent with depression and 15.2% had symptoms consistent with anxiety. In total, 20.0% may experience symptoms consistent with at least one of these two conditions, yet approximately half reported never being formally diagnosed. 350 respondents screened positive for depression or anxiety symptoms and thus were eligible to fill out the healthcare utilization, presenteeism, and absenteeism survey. Direct annual healthcare costs due to depression and anxiety symptoms averaged Singapore dollar (SGD) $1,050 for these respondents. The employed subset (n = 304) missed an extra 17.7 days of work on average per year, which translates to SGD $4,980 per worker. These workers also reported being ~ 40% less productive at work, which equates to SGD $28,720 in economic losses annually. In total, these symptoms caused SGD $15.7 billion in increased costs. Presenteeism accounts for 81.6% of this total (SGD $12.8 billion), absenteeism for 14.2% (SGD $2.3 billion) and healthcare accounts for 4.2% (SGD $0.7 billion). Conclusions The health and economic burden associated with depression and anxiety symptoms is large in Singapore, representing 2.9% of Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP). Employers and governments should look to identify effective remediation strategies, including strategies to address the high rates of undiagnosed cases. Increasing psychiatric resources, general practitioner mental health competency, access to peer support, and increased efforts to reduce mental health stigma should be considered to address this growing public health crisis.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 87%

Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults: results from a 2022 web panel

et al. 2023

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“…Lastly, practical concerns influencing the PMDDs to engage CMHSs included residential proximity, financial concerns, and confidentiality. Echoing previous Singapore‐based studies, our findings highlight the needs not only to continue public education on the various financial subsidies for MHCs but also to urge policymakers to foster a more equitable mental healthcare system across both public and private sectors (Abdin et al, 2021; Subramaniam et al, 2020a, 2020b).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Perceptions of community mental health services among culturally diverse adult Singaporeans with major depressive disorder: A descriptive qualitative study

Tan,

Goh

2023

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Persons with major depressive disorder (PMDDs) often experience pernicious ramifications on the biopsychosocial aspects of their health. While community mental health services (CMHSs) in Singapore are increasingly leveraged to meet the escalating demand for mental healthcare, shortcomings such as a substantial treatment gap and the lack of holistic, culturally sensitive care have been highlighted. Of note, the perspectives of the service users, which have hardly been studied in the literature, are crucial to our understanding of their needs to continuously improve CMHSs. Accordingly, this qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions and experiences of community‐dwelling adults with major depressive disorder in their use of CMHSs in Singapore. Seventeen adults with major depressive disorder purposefully sampled from a CMHS provider were interviewed through a semi‐structured guide between October and November 2021. Data analysis via Braun and Clarke's six‐step thematic framework yielded five themes corresponding to three different phases: pre‐CMHS encounter ((i) procrastination to seek help and (ii) factors influencing CMHS utilization); intra‐CMHS encounter ((iii) incongruous perceptions of the impacts on biopsychosocial health and (iv) differing perceptions and experiences of culturally sensitive care); and post‐CMHS encounter ((v) enhancing CMHSs for PMDDs based on end‐users' experiences). Our findings underscore the need to improve the delivery of personalized mental healthcare services, use of settings‐ and culturally‐specific anti‐stigma strategies, and nationwide mental health literacy in symptom recognition and awareness of help‐seeking resources.

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“…More than 90% of suicides in the West have been attributed to mood disorders ( 3 ). The prevalence of these conditions has a significant economic impact on society because of the difficulties they cause for affected individuals on a daily basis ( 4 – 6 ). One study from China found that in January and February 2020, 54% of subjects expressed psychological symptoms as severe or moderate, 29% of subjects reported moderate to serious anxiety, and approximately 17% of subjects reported moderate to severe depression ( 7 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of aquatic exercise on mood and anxiety symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Wang

Liu

2022

Front. Psychiatry

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ObjectiveExercise has beneficial effects on mood and anxiety symptoms. However, the impact of aquatic exercise on mood and anxiety symptoms has not been clearly confirmed. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize and systematically analyze evidence available on boosting mental health through aquatic exercise.MethodA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted under the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, BIOSIS Previews, PsycINFO, Medline, SPORTDiscus, Education Source, and Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) were searched in May 2022. The research included the influence of aquatic exercises on mood and anxiety symptoms. After assessing trial quality and completing data extraction, a meta-analysis was carried out through R software. The results were presented as a standardized mean difference (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval.ResultsA total of 18 original trials were included. People who received aquatic exercise intervention had a statistically significant reduction in mental disorder symptoms compared with before. The results were aquatic exercise [SMD = −0.77, 95% CI (−1.08, −0.47), I2 = 77%, P < 0.01], swimming [SMD = −0.51, 95% CI (−1.14, 0.12), I2 = 78%, P < 0.01], aquatic aerobics [SMD = −0.92, 95% CI (−1.32, −0.53), I2 = 78%, P < 0.01], moderate intensity [SMD = −0.75, 95% CI (−1.07, −0.43), I2 = 67%, P < 0.01], and low intensity [SMD = −1.07, 95% CI (−1.08, −0.47), I2 = 85%, P < 0.01].ConclusionAquatic exercise could statistically significantly improve mental health. Light aquatic aerobics probably has a better effect on mood and anxiety symptoms. However, given the number and quality of included research, verifying the aforementioned conclusions requires a larger sample of high-quality studies.

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The economic burden of mental disorders among adults in Singapore: evidence from the 2016 Singapore Mental Health Study

Cited by 10 publications

References 32 publications

Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults: results from a 2022 web panel

Prevalence and economic burden of depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults: results from a 2022 web panel

Perceptions of community mental health services among culturally diverse adult Singaporeans with major depressive disorder: A descriptive qualitative study

Effects of aquatic exercise on mood and anxiety symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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