Bigger headache for the mentally ill with high cost of medication

Reports by DIYANA PFORDTEN, ILI AQILAH and FATIMAH ZAINAL

PETALING JAYA: Mental patients who are already burdened by their illness have another worry – the high cost of psychiatric medication.

What’s worse, the prices of these medicines may become even higher.

A lack of insurance coverage for mental health means most of the patients have to pay out of their own pockets, making life more difficult, said Malaysian Psychiatric Association past president Dr Hazli Zakaria.

He said mental illnesses are not given the same priority as other non-communicable diseases like hypertension or diabetes.

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“The insurance companies may cover only the assessment or psychotherapy treatment but not the medication.

“The medicines are also expensive due to the different conditions and diagnoses that a patient may have,” he said.

Original antipsychotic medication, for example, costs much more than antidepressants, said Dr Hazli.

A monthly dose for original antipsychotic medication can come up to between RM500 and RM800, while antidepressants may cost between RM150 and RM250 per month.

Medications used by patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), meanwhile, could cost between RM10 and RM15 daily, said Dr Hazli.

“If someone has both ADHD and depression, they will have to pay for two or three types of medication. If they also have high blood pressure or diabetes, this will further add to their medication costs,” he said.

Dr Hazli was commenting on a Reuters report that pharmaceutical companies plan to raise prices of more than 500 drugs in the United States this month.

“It’s very unfortunate if the price increase affects psychiatric medications as it will affect our initiative to increase the accessibility of treatment for mental health.”

Dr Hazli said any increase in the price of medication would definitely hinder patients from getting optimal treatment as they may not be able to afford it.

He said that while they could seek treatment and medication at government facilities, the waiting list is long and it would further strain the healthcare system. The government would, in turn, need to manage the increase in budgets to public facilities.

“The companies have not informed us yet of any price change but if there is any, prices in Malaysia are likely to follow the global direction and be higher.”