Why we should spend more on mental health
Mental health problems affect roughly 1 in 5 adults, and 1 in 10 children at any one time. In rich countries they cause roughly 40% of disability, absenteeism and underperformance at work, and cost some 7% of GDP. Under ? of those affected are in treatment, though excellent evidence-based treatments exist. The English programme Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) has shown what can be achieved. It treats half a million patients a year. Its net cost is negative, since the gross cost is covered twice over in savings in welfare benefits/ lost taxes and in savings on physical healthcare. Wide availability of these treatments is imperative since common mental illnesses are empirically the biggest single cause of misery in rich countries.
1 March 2016
American Journal of Medical Research 3(1) , pp.188-206, 2016
https://addletonacademicpublishers.com/contents-ajmr/609-volume-3-1-2016/2766-why-we-should-spend-more-on-mental-health
This Journal article is published under the centre's Community Wellbeing programme.