Cost of Mental Health Disorders

Table 5. Cost of mental health disorders and cost-effectiveness of treatments
Mental Health Outcome Estimated Economic Burden Estimated Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment

Icon representing Drepression Depression (MDD) $210.5 bn (2015) $2.3-$2.6 saved per $1 spent
Icon representing Anxiety Anxiety $33.71 bn (2013) $2.7-$3.0 saved per $1 spent3
Icon representing Opioids Opioids $78.5 bn (2016) Icon representing no information available
Icon representing Drugs Drugs $193 bn (2011) $3.77 saved per $1 spent
Icon representing Alcohol Alcohol $249 bn (2015) Icon representing no information available
Icon representing Suicide Suicide $93.5 bn (2015) $2.43 saved per $1 spent

Sources: $210.5bn- Greenberg1; $33.71bn- Shirneshan;2 78.5bn- Florence3 ; $193bn- NDIC4; $249bn- Sacks5; $93.5bn- Stone6; $2.3-$2.6 Chisholm7; $2.7-$3.0 Chisholm8; $3.77- Aos9; 2.43- Richardson10

Note: The Estimate Cost Effectiveness of Treatment statistics are based on treatments such as psychosocial treatment, psychosocial treatment plus antidepressants, post-discharge follow-up calls, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drug counseling, to note a few. Exact treatments vary by statistic. Please refer to the appropriate references for more information.

 

For more information on this topic please view the PDF of the full report.

Footnotes

  1. Greenberg P.E., Fournier A.A., Sisitsky T., Pike C.T, & Kessler R.C. (2015). The economic burden of adults with major depressive disorder in the United States (2005 and 2010). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. doi:10.4088/JCP.14m09298. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25742202
  2. Shirneshan E. (2013). Cost of Illness Study of Anxiety Disorders for the Ambulatory Adult Population of the United States (Doctor of Philosophy), University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Retrieved from https://dc.uthsc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1370&context=dissertations
  3. Florence C.S., Zhou C., Luo F., & Xu L. (2016). The Economic Burden of Prescription Opioid Overdose, Abuse, and Dependence in the United States, 2013. Medical Care. doi:10.1097/MLR. 0000000000000625. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27623005
  4. National Drug Intelligence Center. (2011). National Drug Threat Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs44/44849/44849p.pdf.
  5. Sacks J.J., Gonzales K.R., Bouchery E.E., Tomedi L.E., & Brewer R.D. (2015). 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. doi:doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.05.031. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ 26477807
  6. Stone D., Holland K., Bartholow B., Crosby A., Davis S., & Wilkins N. (2017). Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices. . Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/suicidetechnicalpackage.pdf
  7. Chisholm D., Sweeny K., Sheehan P., Rasmussen B., Smit F., Cuijpers P., & S., S. (2016). Scalingup treatment of depression and anxiety: a global return on investment analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30024-4. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30024-4/fulltext
  8. Chisholm D., Sweeny K., Sheehan P., Rasmussen B., Smit F., Cuijpers P., & S., S. (2016). Scalingup treatment of depression and anxiety: a global return on investment analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30024-4. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30024-4/fulltext
  9. Aos, S., Mayfield, J., Miller, M., & Yen, W. (2006). Evidence-Based Treatment of Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Disorders: Potential Benefits, Costs, and Fiscal Impacts for Washington State. Retrieved from http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/945/Wsipp_Evidence-based-Treatment-of-Alcohol-Drug-and-Mental-Health-Disorders-Potential-Benefits-Costs-and-Fiscal-Impacts-for-Washington-State_Full-Report.pdf
  10. Richardson J.S., Mark T.L., & R., M. (2014). The Return on Investment of Postdischarge Follow-Up Calls for Suicidal Ideation or Deliberate Self-Harm. Psychiatry Online. doi:https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201300196. Retrieved from https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201300196