PMH8 FORECASTING U.S. MEDICAID PROGRAM EXPENDITURE ON ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS

Medicaid Drugs

The following commentary unites a collection of articles primarily concerned with prescription drug issues in Medicaid. It also features highlights from a piece outlining Australia's pharmaceutical delivery system. Specifically, in this issue, you will find comprehensive analyses of drug expenditure trends, issues regarding access to pharmaceuticals in Medicaid, and an evaluation of ongoing gen...

Causes of Medicaid Expenditure Growth

Expenditures for the Medicaid program grew at the alarming and unexpected average annual rate of nearly 20 percent from 1989 ($58 billion) to 1992 ($113 billion). These statistics raise a critical question: What caused spending to grow so dramatically? Using State-level data from 1984-92, this analysis examines the determinants of Medicaid expenditure growth. The results indicate that Medicaid ...

Perspectives on the Medicaid program

Antidepressant Drugs

Depression is a common mental disorder characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-esteem, sleep or appetite disturbances, fatigue and lack of concentration. The disorder can be either chronic or recurrent, substantially reducing the individual’s capacity to work or study, or perform the activities of daily living [1]. Depression is more common in women...

Affective Disorders and Antidepressant Drugs

Affective disorders are a group of psychiatric diseases that can affect an individual at any given age. Also called mood disorders, they can be distinguished into two different types: major depressive disorder, also called major depression, and bipolar disorder, which is known as manic depression. People affected by major depression most often have a low mood, and are consistently in a state of...