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WE SEE IT In his landmark, 1999 report on mental health the U.S. Surgeon General reported that during a given year 20 per cent of the population is affected by mental illness and addictive disorders. Nevertheless, the vast majority do not receive adequate care. An August 2001 report by Dr. Dorothy P. Rice of the University of California reported the negative economic consequences-the total yearly cost for mental illness and addictive disorders had risen from $43.7billion in 1990 to $205 billion-with $92 billion for direct treatment and $113 billion in lost productivity and $8 billion in crime and welfare costs. According to a study by the International Labor Organization in 2000, clinical depression in the United States "has become one of the most common illnesses, affecting one in ten working age adults each year resulting in a loss of approximately 200 million working days each year." The results of a NMHA survey in January 2001 found "the unemployment rate among American adults with depression is 23%, compared to 6% of the general population. Of men between the ages of 21 and 49 with depression, the unemployment rate is 30% - four times that of the national average for that age group." In contrast to the costs of untreated and mistreated mental illness and addictive disorders, there is growing evidence that prevention and early, community-based treatment programs are significantly cost-effective for business and government. The cost-benefit ratio ranges from 1:2 to 1:10, meaning that $1 investment yields a $2 to $10 savings. For example, the cost savings to American communities and businesses by providing early treatment and support for one high-risk youth is between $1.7 and $2.3 million-more than five times the estimated cost of early treatment. Another cost-savings example is welfare. A conservative estimate is that 25% of people on welfare are depressed. If half could be treated successfully, and of that two-thirds could return to productive work, at least part-time, factoring treatment costs, that could reduce welfare costs by as much as 8% - a savings of roughly $3.5 billion a year. There is also evidence that treatment works. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that the treatment success for schizophrenia is 60%, and more than 80% of people with depression can be treated successfully with medication, psychotherapy or a combination of both. In comparison, the treatment success rate for heart disease ranges from 41 to 52%. Why, then, do so many go untreated? Lingering fears, misunderstandings and stigma are at the foundation of discriminatory barriers that inhibit proper treatment of mental illness. NMHA's 2001 survey asked American adults if depression is a "disease or a state of mind that a person can snap out of?" 55% said it was a disease; 31% said "state of mind." The good news though is that attitudes are shifting. A similar 1991 study was 38% and 49% respectively) The practice and policies of business and government leaders need to reflect this growing public awareness that mental illnesses are real, common and treatable. Source: National Mental Health Association. For a full report contact, Mark Helmke, Senior Director, Public Affairs, NMHA, 1021 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314.
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