BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the economic benefit of 
achieving remission among outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who 
are currently employed in Korea.
METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study. A total of 337 outpatients with 
MDD with paid jobs were recruited from 14 psychiatric clinics in Korea and were 
then divided into three groups as follows: new visit group (n = 128), remitted 
group (n = 100) and non-remitted group (n = 109). The 17-item Hamilton 
Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) was used to decide whether a patient should be 
assigned to the remitted or non-remitted group. Direct medical and non-medical 
costs were measured via interview with the subjects. The World Health 
Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) were applied in 
order to measure the lost productive time (LPT) and related productivity costs.
RESULTS: The three groups did not show a significant difference in direct 
medical cost. However, the difference between the remitted group and 
non-remitted group was statistically significant (25.49 ± 52.99 vs. 
44.79 ± 126.55, χ (2) = 12.99, p = 0.0015). The remitted group demonstrated a 
significant improvement in productivity (particularly presenteeism) when 
compared with the new visit group (Z = -3.29, p = 0.001). Although the 
non-remitted group received treatment at psychiatric clinics similar to the 
remitted group, it lost 33 more working hours per month, which is compatible to 
$332 per month.
CONCLUSION: These results suggest the economic importance of achieving remission 
in treating depression.