Mental Health Costs Rise Steeply
For a decade, the cost of treating mental illness in the United States rose more quickly than that for any other major chronic condition, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported. The agency said that in 1996, it cost $35 million to treat conditions such as depression and bipolar disease, but by 2006, that figure had risen to $58 billion, with 36 million Americans receiving treatment. In contrast, heart disease spending increased from $72 billion to $78 billion, cancer spending rose from $47 billion to $58 billion, and asthma costs grew from $36 billion to $51 billion–according to the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey. The per-patient cost for treating mental disorders fell from $1,825 to $1,591.
Middle Aged, Elders Are Bingeing
A survey of 11,000 adults age 50 or older has determined that binge drinking is common. Fourteen percent of men and 3% of women over age 65 reported having five or more drinks in a day within the past 30 days. Among 50- to 64-year-olds, binge drinking was reported by 23% of men and 9% of women. The study, published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry (
doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09010016
1 in 5 Teens Shares Prescriptions
Interviews with almost 600 children aged 12-17 years found that 1 in 5 (122 of 592) said that he or she had loaned or borrowed a prescription drug, according to a study published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health by researchers from Academic Edge Inc. (
doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.06.002
Postdisaster Care Is Cost Effective
Giving comprehensive mental health care to a population after a natural disaster would have substantial public health benefits, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry (2009;66:906-14). Researchers from various universities and foundations estimated the costs and effects of mental health screening, assessment, treatment, and care coordination for 11 million people after a disaster, such as those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. They assessed a medium-term response–that is, 7 months after an event–because fewer care strategies address that period than deal with the immediate postdisaster care. The team estimated that comprehensive care cost $1,133 per person, a total of $12.5 billion, during the 7-24 months after such a disaster.
Faulty Off-Label Prescribing?
A survey of 250 physicians–135 psychiatrists and 115 primary care doctors–found them lacking in knowledge of many drugs' approved indications. The study was published online in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (
Macho Matters Medically
Middle-aged men who strongly idealize masculinity are only about half as likely as other men to seek preventive health care, according to a study presented at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting. However, among the macho men, those in blue-collar jobs were more likely to report obtaining care than were white-collar workers with strong masculinity beliefs. Presuming that jobs such as truck driving and farm work are more dependent on maintaining good health, the blue-white–collar difference suggests that the “masculinity threat of seeking health care is less concerning than the masculinity threat of not performing their jobs,” said lead investigator Kristen Springer, Ph.D., of Rutgers University. The study looked at the likelihood of men obtaining three preventive services: a complete physical exam, a flu shot, and a prostate exam.