Mental Health Economics

One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives according to the World Health Organisation. At any given time roughly 450 million people suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide. Treatment and care for people with mental health disorders can be complex and expensive, and beyond health care-related costs, the broader economic costs of mental ill-health are also tremendous. Yet, mental health has received little attention, in particular within the study of economics. The Mental Health Economics Special Interest Group sets out to connect researchers and encourage discussion to further our collective understanding of all aspects of health economic research on mental health.

Member Benefits

SIG members receive bi-monthly newsletters with call for paper opportunities, relevant conferences, SIG-related news, and an exceptionally comprehensive collection of working papers and newly published research on the economics of mental health. Members also benefit from webinars and member-only networking opportunities both at the iHEA conferences and virtually.

Additionally, the SIG has an active presence on Twitter. Follow us here.

Resources

Latest research papers on mental health economics

This document contains over 250 new papers and working papers on mental health economics, creating the world’s most comprehensive collection of research studies on the topic. The archive can be searched and sorted by authors, title, publication year, and journal. Additionally, each paper has a link to the full text or the journal website associated with it. The file can be downloaded or viewed online. This invaluable resource can be used to explore new research in a topic of interest, in course planning, and in identifying experts on certain questions, methods, and regions.

Past webinars

  • Mental Health as a Critical Instrument for Economic Recovery, Health Security and Sustainable Development in Africa – May 19, 2022
  • New International Framework for Assessing the Costs and Outcomes of Mental Health Related Care: The European PECUNIA Project (2018-2021) – March 21, 2022
  • Treating Mental Health Disorders Improves Labour Market Outcomes in Low and Middle Income Countries – February 3, 2022
  • Mentally Healthy Workplaces – The Way Forward – June 17, 2021
  • Mental Health Economics: Reflections, Promises and Challenges – May 27, 2021

Convenors

Chris Sampson, Lead Convener
Panka Bencsik, Founder and Past Lead Convenor
Giulia Greco, Convenor for LMIC Research and Engagement
Long Le, Convenor for ECR Development
Irina Pokhilenko, Convenor for Research and Dissemination
Francesca Cornaglia, Convenor for Research and Scientific Networking