About The Study: This study estimated income losses from the individual perspective in the 10 years following hospital diagnosis of depression, alcohol use disorder, stroke, and breast cancer from 2000 to 2023 in Denmark. The researchers found that (1) income losses following mental disorder diagnoses were larger than those for physical conditions, though all evaluated diseases led to substantive loss; (2) average losses grew in years following diagnosis, particularly among individuals younger than 40 and those in school, suggesting accumulating disadvantage; and (3) even those outside of the workforce at the time of hospital diagnosis experienced sustained future income loss.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Emily K. Johnson, MSc, email ejohnson@health.sdu.dk .
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(doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2026.0196)
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