Economic aspects of mental health care in advanced countries

Czech version

Authors: Barták Miroslav ¹; Dlouhý Martin ²
Authors‘ workplace: Univerzita J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem, Fakulta sociálně ekonomická ¹; Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze ²
Published in: Reviz. posud. Lék., 15, 2012, č. 3-4, s. 91-96
Category: Review articles

Overview

Mental illness is a medical problem, but the economic and social impacts of mental illness should not be ignored. Accumulated evidence suggests that in evaluating the cost of mental health care one cannot be limited to direct health cost. On the other hand, indirect costs of social systems and losses in the national economy can greatly exceed the direct health care cost. With exception of the United States, the mental health care is financed from a solidarity-based health insurance or taxes. Mental health care in many countries is integrated with physical health care, but there are still specific financial and organizational differences. In recent decades, mental health care has undergone dramatic changes. Availability of new drugs expanded therapeutic options, which also meant better chances for the mentally ill to return to society and the labor market. The institutionalization of the mentally ill was replaced by the community care in order to keep patients in their natural environment. Reforming public budgets to manage the cost of mental health care appears both as difficult and inadequate.

Key words:
mental health – health economics – public finance

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Article was published in

Medical Revision

2012 Issue 3-4