Resilience

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Health Care Expenditures: The Effects of Co-Occurring Conditions

Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics: Peacock, Georgina MD January 2012 - Volume 33 - Issue 1.

Abstract

"Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often have co-occurring conditions, but little is known on the effect of those conditions on their medical care cost. Medical expenditures attributable to ASDs among Medicaid-enrolled children were calculated, and the effects of 3 commonly co-occurring conditions—intellectual disability (ID), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and epilepsy—on those expenditures were analyzed. Conclusion: Medicaid-enrolled children with ASD incurred higher medical costs than did Medicaid-enrolled children without ASD. Among Medicaid-enrolled children with ASD, cost varied substantially based on the presence of another neurodevelopmental disorder. In particular, children with ID had much higher costs than did other children with ASD."

Read the full abstract here.   Full article may require payment.

Building Strong Systems of Support for Young Children’s Mental Health: Key Strategies for States and a Planning Tool

National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, S. Smith, et al, June 2011.

This report describes key strategies for creating a comprehensive system of supports for young children’s mental health and provides examples from states using these strategies. It also includes a tool that state planners can use to assess progress and plan steps toward building a strong system of early childhood mental health supports.

Read the report here.

Regional Teams Enhance Ability of Primary Care Clinicians Throughout Massachusetts to Serve Children and Adolescents With Mental Health Issues

 AHRQ Innovations Exchange,  Massachusetts Department of Mental Health

With funding from the state government, the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project uses regional teams of mental health professionals to support pediatric primary care clinicians throughout the state in diagnosing and treating patients with mental health issues. The teams provide telephone consultations during visits and, as needed, follow-up, face-to-face consultations with patients.

Read the complete Innovation Profile here.

 

Project SEARCH: Opening Doors to Employment for Young People with Disabilities

 This unique work immersion model is designed to help students with significant disabilities transition from school to work, with a focus on the needs of both the student and potential employer. This Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., 2009 brief describes Project SEARCH and considers whether it represents an effective model for increasing employment among these individuals.

Click here to read the Disability Policy Research Brief.

Early Childhood Health Problems and Prevention Strategies: Costs and Benefits

Partnership for America’s Economic Success, Issue Brief #3, 2008.

Summary

In this paper, Dr. Bernard Guyer and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University examine the costs of four specific types of young children’s health problems—exposure to tobacco smoke, unintentional injury, mental health problems, and obesity—and review over 300 studies of a range of interventions to address them. While results vary for each health issue, the bottom line is that investing in early childhood health makes economic sense.

Read the complete issue brief, here.

The Toll of Adolescent Mental Illness

TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University, Fact Sheet

 Summary

According to research cited by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), half of all lifetime mental health disorders begin by age 14. The Institute of Medicine has reported that there is a window of opportunity of two to four years to address symptoms early and prevent the progression of the disease. Unfortunately, NIMH research indicates that most mental illnesses are not diagnosed for 10 years after the first symptoms appear, resulting in a needlessly heavy toll on both individuals and society.

To read the TeenScreen fact sheet, click here.

Substance Abuse Prevention Dollars and Cents: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

SAMHSA Report, SMA07-4298, 5/2009

Summary

"Analyzes the costs of substance abuse to the Nation and to states, and the cost savings that could be gained if effective prevention policies were implemented nationwide. Lists programs and policies that are most cost-beneficial."  (SAMHSA)

To access the complete report, click here.

 

The Lifetime Distribution of the Incremental Societal Costs of Autism

Archives of  Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine 2007;161(4):343-349; by Ganz ML.

Abstract

Objective  To describe the age-specific and lifetime incremental societal costs of autism in the United States.

Design  Estimates of use and costs of direct medical and nonmedical care were obtained from a literature review and database analysis. A human capital approach was used to estimate lost productivity. These costs were projected across the life span, and discounted incremental age-specific costs were computed.

Setting  United States.

Participants  Hypothetical incident autism cohort born in 2000 and diagnosed in 2003.

Main Outcome Measures  Discounted per capita incremental societal costs.

Results  The lifetime per capita incremental societal cost of autism is $3.2 million. Lost productivity and adult care are the largest components of costs. The distribution of costs over the life span varies by cost category.

Conclusions  Although autism is typically thought of as a disorder of childhood, its costs can be felt well into adulthood. The substantial costs resulting from adult care and lost productivity of both individuals with autism and their parents have important implications for those aging members of the baby boom generation approaching retirement, including large financial burdens affecting not only those families but also potentially society in general. These results may imply that physicians and other care professionals should consider recommending that parents of children with autism seek financial counseling to help plan for the transition into adulthood.

To read the complete article, click here.

 

Ethnography in evaluation: Uncovering hidden costs and benefits in child mental health

Data Trends,Summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families, #148, 2007; Human Organizations, 66(3), 315-326; Henry, D., Bales, R., & Graves, E.

Summary

"Using a cultural anthropological approach to cost-benefit analysis, the authors conducted an efficiency
evaluation of a system of care. The ethnographic study revealed monetary costs and other benefits not otherwise
included in traditional evaluations, such as hidden costs; costs not incurred due to access to effective
services; and positive outcomes for parents in the community, children’s mental health, and relationships
between children and their families."  (Data Trends)

To read the complete summary, click here.

 

Medication-only Therapy and Combination Therapy Both Cost Effective for Treating Teens with Depression

Domino ME, et al,   Cost-effectiveness of treatments for adolescent depression: results from TADS. American Journal of Psychiatry. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2008.

 

Summary

Treating depressed teenagers with either the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) or a combination of fluoxetine and psychotherapy can be cost effective, according to a economic analysis of the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). 

NIMH Science Update

The Economics of Children's Mental Health

Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly Vol. 3, No. 1 | © 2009 Children’s Health Policy Centre, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Summary

"All children have the right to thrive and to meet their potential. When governments invest in effective health promotion, disorder prevention and treatment services, the personal and financial costs of childhood mental disorders can be substantially reduced. Economic evaluations are a vital tool in reducing these costs because they help determine which specific interventions constitute the wisest use of limited public funds." (CMHR Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009)

 Access the complete CMHR Quarterly article, here.