[Costs of early retirement--the case of schizophrenia]

Schizophrenia is a severe psychic disorder that occurs at young age and often leads to a work disability. The disease not only induces direct costs in the health care system but also indirect costs that show up in the social security system. In this study, we apply statistics from the social security administration on early retirement due to disability. Over 6000-males and females per year retire with the diagnosis schizophrenia (classified as 295, ICD-9). The average retirement age is 39 for males and 42 for females. Schizophrenia is the most important single reason for early retirement before age 40. Of all male cases of disability retirement under the age of 40, 14.7 % are due to schizophrenia. The present discounted value of pensions paid out before the standard retirement age of 65 is 215 000 Euro for an average male. Moreover, the revenue loss in income taxes and payroll contributions amounts to 345 000 Euro. In the year 2000, a total of 125 000 persons under the age of 65, who originally entered retirement with the diagnosis schizophrenia, are estimated to be receiving a pension. The corresponding annual expenditures of the social security system reach 1.3 Billion Euro; the revenue loss (pay-roll plus income taxes) reaches 2 Billion Euro. Since only two thirds of the working age population is covered by the social security system, the costs of early retirement due to schizophrenia are underestimated by a factor of at least one third.