April 2026 - Dennis Wienand

English subtitles on Youtube available: click on the gear icon and select “Untertitel” – “English”

Dr. Dennis Wienand, MSc

MedUni Wien RESEARCHER OF THE MONTH April 2026

The prevalence of physical health conditions across people with mental health disorders is increased compared to the general population resulting in excess health care costs. This modelling study estimated the annual hospital costs associated with the excess risks of physical comorbidities for four serious mental health disorders (alcohol use disorders, bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, schizophrenia) based on non-mental health inpatient and emergency care utilisation data in 32 European countries for year 2019. Proportions of excess costs ranged from 36% to 59% of the total costs. Aggregated excess costs across the four mental health disorders reflected 2% of the included countries combined health care expenditure, or 0.2% of their gross domestic products. In conclusion, results indicate substantial economic benefits achievable in the hospital sector by reducing the burden of physical comorbidities for people with mental health disorders. Targeted preventive, diagnostic, and access efforts, and better integrated service pathways should address the physical health disparities for mental health disorders in the future.

Selected Literature

1. Wienand, D., Goodwin, G. M., & Simon, J. (2025). Non-mental health inpatient and emergency care hospital costs associated with four mental disorders in Europe: a modelling study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 12(7), 513-523. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00138-5
2. Wienand, D., Wijnen, L. I., Heilig, D., Wippel, C., Arango, C., Knudsen, G. M., Goodwin, G.M., Simon, J. (2024). Comorbid physical health burden of serious mental health disorders in 32 European countries. BMJ Mental Health, 27(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjment-2024-301021
3. Simon, J., Wienand, D., Park, A. L., Wippel, C., Mayer, S., Heilig, D., Łaszewska, A., Stelzer, I., Goodwin, G.M., McDaid, D. (2023). Excess resource use and costs of physical comorbidities in individuals with mental health disorders: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 66, 14-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2022.10.001