Untreated Mental Illness Costs the US $100+ Billion Yearly
Untreated mental illness costs the economy through lost productivity, a loss that can be avoided by investing in mental health services and research. In a 2002 report, the National Alliance on Mental Illness stated that, “Untreated mental illness costs the nation $113 billion annually.” Simply stated, when mental illnesses are left untreated, “it ends up adding to inefficient, costly care of physical ailments.”
While costs to the American economy are likely to have risen as overall healthcare costs have as well, “the global direct and indirect economic costs of mental disorders were estimated at US$2.5 trillion,” as reported by EMBO reports, “based on data from 2010.”
By investing in mental health services and making treatment accessible to anyone who needs it, these costs can be avoided, potentially paying for themselves. Mental illness can go untreated for any number of reasons from stigma to limited accessibility, but regardless, once treatment becomes widely available, those yearly economic impacts could be lessened.
These costs signal an opportunity for the healthcare system and all of its stakeholders to figure out a way to proactively lessen the costs of untreated mental illness by increasing accessibility to mental health resources. An investment in early mental health treatment could mean less costs on the healthcare system overall. Mental illnesses that are treated before they worsen could result in a lifetime of adverse physical affects of an untreated mental illness never costing the healthcare system.
