Use and Expenses for Prescribed Psychotherapeutics, by Subclass, 2009: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population. Statistical Brief 386.

摘要

The continued increase in expenditures for prescribed medicines persists as a concern for both consumers of health care and policymakers. Prescribed drugs are commonly used to treat mental health disorders; and the Affordable Care Act will expand mental health insurance coverage. This Statistical Brief presents estimates based on the 2009 Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC) on use and expenses for the therapeutic class of prescribed psychotherapeutic agents and its subclasses: antidepressants and antipsychotics. The Brief provides estimates on the number of persons with at least one prescription drug purchase by age and gender, the number of prescriptions, total and out-of-pocket expenses, as well as average expenditures per person. Estimates in this Brief are based on reports of prescribed medicines purchased or received during the year. Medications administered only as part of ambulatory visits or inpatient stays are not included. Two prior Statistical Briefs, 357 and 358, present estimates of expenditures for prescribed medicines to treat mental health disorders in children (5-17 years old) and young adults (18-26 years old). All differences between estimates noted in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level or better.