The Hidden Cost of Mental Illness
By Rich Bayer, Ph.D.
In the past 100 years mental health treatment has
come a long way. Today, we not only have a better understanding of the
origin and causes of mental health disorders, but we have the ability to
treat these disorders effectively.
Today we have numerous therapies and medications that
can help individuals manage the symptoms of mental illness.
But even though effective treatment is available,
many people still don’t access it. This year, there will be about 50
million people who could benefit from mental health treatment yet only
about 10 million will actually seek it.
Why is that?
Before answering this question, let’s first
determine the scope of the problem.
Who Needs Treatment?
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA),
in a one-year period, about 50 million Americans can be diagnosed with a
mental health problem that is serious enough to interfere with their
normal, daily functioning. That’s 22 percent of the population.
To be even more specific…
- Some
8 to 14 million Americans suffer from depression each year. About one
in five persons will suffer at least one episode of major depression
in their lifetimes.
- About
12 million children under 18 suffer from mental disorders such as
autism, depression, and hyperactivity.
- About
2 million Americans suffer from schizophrenic disorders.
- Nearly
one-fourth of the elderly suffer some form of mental illness.
- About
20 percent of the complaints for which Americans seek medical care are
related to anxiety disorders, such as panic attacks, phobias, or
obsessive-compulsive disorder.
According to a study by the World Health Organization
in 2001, when comparing all diseases, mental illness ranks first in terms
of causing disability in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe.
This study revealed that mental illness accounts for 25% of all disability
in major industrialized countries.
The Cost of Treatment
As noted by the APA, the direct cost of treating and
supporting mental illness is approximately $55 billion a year. But there
are indirect costs to society as well, including the cost of lost
employment or decreased productivity, accidents, and social welfare
programs, which have been estimated at $273 billion a year.
About $70 billion of that $273 billion is the
estimated cost of untreated mental illness. That’s actually more than
the direct cost of treating mental illness.
Included in the $70 billion are:
- The
added cost of emergency room care. Individuals with untreated mental
illness tend to use emergency rooms on a regular basis to deal with
medical crises.
- Added
costs of care by private physicians. Because many symptoms of mental
illness are physical, family doctors hear complaints from patients
with untreated mental illness. The problem is, they often refer these
patients for more tests, which are costly. In addition, untreated
mental illness actually causes some medical conditions to worsen, such
as asthma, arthritis, and diabetes, which require even more visits to
private physicians.
- Absenteeism.
Lost days from work create a financial drain on employers.
- “Presenteeism.”
This term has been used to refer to employees who show up for work
but, because they’re impaired with a mental illness such as
depression, they cannot work up to their ability.
An interesting study has been conducted concerning
these last two problems. A Rand Corporation report showed that, if
employers invested $500 per year per employee for mental health services,
it would more than pay for itself in increased productivity of their
employees.
Who Comes for
Treatment?
Surprisingly, just one in five people with
diagnosable mental illness actually attends treatment for it. This rate
appears even worse for children. Somewhere between 4 percent and 15
percent of children with severe mental illness are receiving treatment.
Here are the percentages of people now in treatment
by type of mental health disorder they have:
- 50%
of those with schizophrenia
- 25%
of those with anxiety disorders
- 33%
of those with depression
But it has been proven that, by participating in
treatment, 80% to 90% of people with these disorders can recover and begin
functioning better in their daily activities and in their relationships
with others. So why don’t more people seek treatment? The most obvious
explanation is “stigma.”
The Stigma of
Mental Illness
As a society, how do we view mental illness? Often
with disdain, discomfort, or fear. Often we ridicule those who suffer from
various mental health disorders.
That’s the stigma of mental illness, the negative
attitude that many people share.
Our culture promulgates negative views of mental
illness. We hear terms like “crazy,” “insane,” and “psycho” as
put-downs. Children learn these names and start using them at an early
age.
The media doesn’t help either. Television shows and
movies often depict people with mental health disorders as unattractive or
undesirable, as silly or scary.
In addition, the media often portray mentally ill
people as those who commit violence. This is not true. Studies show that
those with mental health disorders are no more likely to commit violent
crimes than people in the general population.
The negative image needs to change. Someday perhaps,
we’ll be as accepting when talking about people with mental health
disorders as we are today when talking about people with cancer or heart
disease. By changing our attitudes about mental illness, we’ll pave the
way to a saner world.
------------------------------------
Rich Bayer,
Ph.D., is the CEO of Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, Inc. and a
practicing psychologist.
For More Information Contact:
Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services, Inc.
200 Booth Street, Elkton, MD 21921
Tel: 410-996-5104
Toll Free: 877-587-7750
FAX: 410-996-5197
Internet: info@upperbay.org
|
