Treatment of dissociative disorders and reported changes in inpatient and outpatient cost estimates

Background: Interpersonal trauma and trauma-related disorders cost society billions of dollars each year. Because of chronic and severe trauma histories, dissociative disorder (DD) patients spend many years in the mental health system, yet there is limited knowledge about the economic burden associated with DDs. Objective: The current study sought to determine how receiving specialized treatment would relate to estimated costs of inpatient and outpatient mental health services. Method: Patients’ and individual therapists’ reports of inpatient hospitalization days and outpatient treatment sessions were converted into US dollars. DD patients and their clinicians reported on use of inpatient and outpatient services four times over 30 months as part of a larger, naturalistic, international DD treatment study. The baseline sample included 292 clinicians and 280 patients; at the 30-month follow-up, 135 clinicians and 111 patients. Missing data were replaced in analyses to maintain adequate statistical power. The substantial attrition rate (>50%) should be considered in interpreting findings. Results: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of cost estimates based on patient reported inpatient hospitalization significantly decreased over time. Longitudinal cost estimates based on clinician-reported outpatient services also significantly decreased over time. Cross-sectional cost estimates based on patient and clinician reported inpatient hospitalization were significantly lower for patients in later stages of treatment compared to those struggling with safety and stabilization. Cross-sectional cost estimates based on clinician-reported outpatient services were significantly lower for patients in later stages of treatment compared to those in early stages. Conclusions: This pattern of longitudinal and cross-sectional reductions in inpatient and outpatient costs, as reported by both patients and therapists, suggests that DD treatment may be associated with reduced inpatient and outpatient costs over time. Although these preliminary results show decreased mental health care utilization and associated estimated costs, it is not clear whether it was treatment that caused these important changes.