The Cost of Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder in Swedish Youth

The economic impact of pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) on society is unknown. We compared a wide range of individual-level cost data of children 7–17 years with OCD ( n = 152) with a control group from the general population in Sweden ( n = 768). The total annual cost in the OCD group was M = 11941€ (95% CI [9915–13966]), compared to the control group M = 6380 € (95% CI [5461–7299]), corresponding to an estimated marginal mean cost of OCD of 5560 € per person and year ( z = 4.99, p < .001). OCD was associated with significantly higher healthcare costs, parental absence from work and school productivity loss. OCD symptom severity was positively associated with higher costs. The total societal burden of pediatric OCD in Sweden was estimated to be 94.3 € million per year (95% CI [56.9–131.8]). These results have important implications for policy makers and for the allocation of healthcare resources. Similar studies are needed in other countries in order to estimate the global cost of the disorder.