Economics of Mental Illness

The magnitude of the problem of mental health in terms of patients has been emphasized in recent years. In this volume the problem is approached from the standpoint of the cost of mental illness to the people of the United States—not just the expenses of hospitalization, medical care, and research, but also the money lost through the nonproductivity of the mentally ill. Admittedly, accurate figures are not available on some of these points, and estimates of such items as the amount paid in fees to general practitioners and internists by patients whose complaints are primarily psychological can be little more than speculative. It might be argued that it is not realistic to consider that all patients suffering from mental illness could be absorbed into the labor market and social order without a terrific impact on its basic structure, but recognizing these difficulties the author has attempted to present a fair