Healthcare use and costs among individuals receiving mental health services for depression within primary care in Nepal

BACKGROUND: Integrating mental health services into primary care is a key strategy for reducing the mental healthcare treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries. We examined healthcare use and costs over time among individuals with depression and subclinical depressive symptoms in Chitwan, Nepal to understand the impact of integrated care on individual and health system resources. METHODS: Individuals diagnosed with depression at ten primary care facilities were randomized to receive a package of integrated care based on the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (treatment group; TG) or this package plus individual psychotherapy (TG + P); individuals with subclinical depressive symptoms received primary care as usual (UC). Primary outcomes were changes in use and health system costs of outpatient healthcare at 3- and 12-month follow up. Secondary outcomes examined use and costs by type. We used Poisson and log-linear models for use and costs, respectively, with an interaction term between time point and study group, and with TG as reference. RESULTS: The study included 192 primary care service users (TG = 60, TG + P = 60, UC = 72; 86% female, 24% formally employed, mean age 41.1). At baseline, outpatient visits were similar (− 11%, p = 0.51) among TG + P and lower (− 35%, p = 0.01) among UC compared to TG. Visits increased 2.30 times (p < 0.001) at 3 months among TG, with a 50% greater increase (p = 0.03) among TG + P, before returning to baseline levels among all groups at 12 months. Comparing TG + P to TG, costs were similar at baseline (− 1%, p = 0.97) and cost changes did not significantly differ at three (− 16%, p = 0.67) or 12 months (− 45%, p = 0.13). Costs among UC were 54% lower than TG at baseline (p = 0.005), with no significant differences in cost changes over follow up. Post hoc analysis indicated individuals not receiving psychotherapy used less frequent, more costly healthcare. CONCLUSION: Delivering psychotherapy within integrated services for depression resulted in greater healthcare use without significantly greater costs to the health system or individual. Previous research in Chitwan demonstrated psychotherapy determined treatment effectiveness for people with depression. While additional research is needed into service implementation costs, our findings provide further evidence supporting the inclusion of psychotherapy within mental healthcare integration in Nepal and similar contexts. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08969-1.