Resilience

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.

 

Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise

RAND Report by L.A. Karoly, M. R. Kilburn, and J.S. Cannon

Summary

"Many children face deficiencies between ages 0 and 5 that can impede their ability to develop to their fullest potential. The PNC Grow Up Great initiative, a program financed by PNC Financial, Inc., asked RAND to prepare a thorough, objective review and synthesis of current research that addresses the potential for various forms of early childhood intervention to improve outcomes for participating children and their families. The authors consider the potential consequences of not investing additional resources in the lives of children, the range of early intervention programs, the demonstrated benefits of interventions with high-quality evaluations, the features associated with successful programs, and the returns to society associated with investing early in the lives of disadvantaged children." (RAND)

To access and read this RAND summary or report, click here.

 

Long-term economic costs of psychological problems during childhood

 The RAND Corporation, Washington University School of Medicine, Smith JP, Smith GC. Social Science & Medicine, Volume 1, Issue 1, July 2010, epub-March 31, 2010.

Abstract
Childhood psychological conditions including depression and substance abuse are a growing concern among American children, but their long-term economic costs are unknown. This paper uses unique data from the US Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) following groups of siblings and their parents for up to 40 years prospectively collecting information on education, income, work, and marriage. Following siblings offers an opportunity to control for unobserved family and neighborhood effects. A retrospective child health history designed by the author was placed into the 2007 PSID wave measuring whether respondents had any of 14 childhood physical illnesses or suffered from depression, substance abuse, or other psychological conditions.

Large effects are found on the ability of affected children to work and earn as adults. Educational accomplishments are diminished, and adult family incomes are reduced by 20% or $10,400 per year with $18,000 less family household assets. Lost income is partly a consequence of seven fewer weeks worked per year. There is also an 11% point lower probability of being married. Controlling for physical childhood diseases shows that these effects are not due to the co-existence of psychological and physical diseases, and estimates controlling for within-sibling differences demonstrate that these effects are not due to unobserved common family differences.

The long-term economic damages of childhood psychological problems are large—a lifetime cost in lost family income of approximately $300,000, and total lifetime economic cost for all those affected of 2.1 trillion dollars.

Read the fact sheet at RAND.

Read the article

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