Investing in Mental Health Promotion and Prevention
Author Information
Author(s): Ingrid Zechmeister, Reinhold Kilian, David McDaid
Primary Institution: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Health Technology Assessment
Hypothesis
Is it worth investing in mental health promotion and prevention of mental illness?
Conclusion
More country and population-specific economic evaluations are needed to prioritize mental health promotion and prevention interventions effectively.
Supporting Evidence
- One in four individuals can expect to experience mental health problems during their lifetimes.
- The costs of poor mental health have been estimated to account for between 3% and 4% of GDP in developed countries.
- Robust evidence on cost-effectiveness is still limited to a very small number of interventions.
Takeaway
This study looks at whether spending money on mental health programs is a good idea. It finds that some programs can help, but we need more information to decide which ones are best.
Methodology
A systematic review of health and non-health related bibliographic databases, complemented by a hand search of key journals and analysis of grey literature.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in outcome measurement due to non-randomized control groups and lack of double-blinding.
Limitations
The evidence base is limited, and the generalizability of findings is restricted due to the specific contexts of the studies.
Participant Demographics
Studies included participants from various countries, primarily the UK, USA, Netherlands, and Sweden.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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