Economic impact of personality disorders in UK primary care attenders

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Abstract
Background The economic impact of personality disorders on UK health services is unknown. Aims To test the hypothesis that people with personality disorders have higher mean health and non-health costs compared with those without personality disorders. Method Prospective cohort study design. A total of 303 general practice attenders were followed-up 1 year after they had been assessed for the presence of personality disorders. Costs were estimated in £ sterling at 1999 price levels. Results The mean total cost for patients with personality disorders was £3094 (s.d.=5324) compared with £1633 (s.d.=3779) for those without personality disorders. Personality disorders were not independently associated with increased costs. Multivariate analyses identified the presence of a significant interaction between personality disorders and common mental disorders and increased total costs (coefficient=499, 95% CI 180.1-626.2, P=0.002). Conclusions Personality disorders are not independently associated with increased costs. An interaction between personality disorders and common mental disorders significantly predicts increased total costs.