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The economic case for the prevention of mental illness

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  • McDaid, David
  • Park, A-La
  • Wahlbeck, Kristian

Abstract

Poor mental health has profound economic consequences. Given the burden of poor mental health, the economic case for preventing mental illness and promoting better mental health may be very strong, but too often prevention attracts little attention and few resources. This article describes the potential role that can be played by economic evidence alongside experimental trials and observational studies, or through modeling, to substantiate the need for increased investment in prevention. It illustrates areas of action across the life course where there is already a good economic case. It also suggests some further areas of substantive public health concern, with promising effectiveness evidence, that may benefit from economic analysis. Financial and economic barriers to implementation are then presented, and strategies to address the barriers and increase investment in the prevention of mental illness are suggested.

Suggested Citation

  • McDaid, David & Park, A-La & Wahlbeck, Kristian, 2019. "The economic case for the prevention of mental illness," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 100054, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:100054
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/100054/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Chris Gibbons’s journal round-up for 1st July 2019
      by Christopher Gibbons in The Academic Health Economists' Blog on 2019-07-01 11:00:08

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    Cited by:

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    5. Tony Robinson & Joan Condell & Elaine Ramsey & Gerard Leavey, 2023. "Self-Management of Subclinical Common Mental Health Disorders (Anxiety, Depression and Sleep Disorders) Using Wearable Devices," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-22, February.
    6. Jane Cooley Fruehwirth & Alex Xingbang Weng & Krista M. Perreira, 2024. "The effect of social media use on mental health of college students during the pandemic," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(10), pages 2229-2252, October.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    prevention; economic evaluation; mental illness; economic modeling; intersectoral actions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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