May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.
In the U.S. we spend billions of dollars managing the side effects of psychiatric medications.
Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earning per year. And mood disorders such as depression are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults ages 18-44.
According to the Washington Post, the mental health-care system in the United States is a multibillion-dollar industry that is still not big enough to serve all those who need it. Costs are a big barrier to treatments — but so are attitudes about mental health. New laws might change access to mental health, although significant barriers still remain. Here’s a look at what we invest in the mental health-care system, what that buys us and where gaps in coverage remain.
Between prescription medication, therapy sessions and hospital visits, the costs of having a mental health condition can add up quickly.
A report published in Health Affairs shows that not only are mental health conditions expensive, they are the most expensive – costing Americans over $201 billion a year. Charles Roehrig, Ph.D., states in the article, “Not only is spending on mental disorders way ahead of heart conditions, the spending is growing unusually fast. We are getting better at preventing heart disease and stroke, but spending on anxiety and depression has grown very rapidly within the mental disorders area.”
With mental illness, you often don’t know if a medication is working for a patient until something catastrophic happens. So how do you know if the medications they are prescribed are giving them therapy, or doing more harm with adverse events?
Studies show that over 50% of patients have a variant gene that alters the rate of which they metabolize medications. So what does this mean for mental illness?
Predicting patient response
Pharmacogenomics is now being used to help identify genes to help physicians improve the selection of medications for patients with depression and other psychiatric disorders. The test is a simple buccal swab of the cheek that is sent to a laboratory to determine how patients will respond to medications. It is reimbursed by medicare and in some states medicaid.
The test results are designed to aid healthcare professionals when treating patients and eliminate the “trial and error” process which may take too long when dealing with mental illness.
Pharmacogenomics is a way to personalize medicine for each individual. It will help identify patients who might experience adverse effects from antidepressants or antipsychotic medications and help improve adherence.
At PGx Medical our team of consultants work with Mental Health agencies and physicians across the country to educate and implement pharmacogenomics into their patient population.