Knapp Schizophrenia

Although atypical antipsychotic agents may cost several times as much as traditional antipsychotics, drug costs in schizophrenia account for only 1-4% of the total treatment cost (Knapp, 1997). The argument then is that a small increase in drug costs— say to 10% of total cost—may result in disproportionate savings in the highly expensive direct hospital costs, if clinical trial... 

Knapp M (1997). Costs of schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 509-518. 

Schwab SG, Knapp M, Mondabon S, Hallmayer J, Borrmann-Hassenbach M, et al. 2003. Support for association of schizophrenia with genetic variation in the 6p22.3 gene, dysbindin, in sib-pair families with linkage and in an additional sample of triad families. Am J Hum Genet 72 185-190. 

Schizophrenia is the most devastating of the major mental illnesses. Its prevalence is stable across cultural and national boundaries, affecting between 0.5% and 1.5% of all populations. In the United Kingdom the economic cost of schizophrenia has been put at some 850 million per year, ranking it third behind strokes and learning disabilities as the most costly illness to the health service (Knapp, 1997). In human terms, the damage caused by schizophrenia is incalculable. It is known, for example, that as many as 12% of schizophrenics eventually commit suicide (Brown, 1997). 

Duggan A, Warner J, Knapp M, Kerwin R. Modeling flie impact of clozapine on suicide in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. 

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