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Health Economics

2022

Ezra Golberstein, Christoph Kronenberg PhD

Editorial: Mental health economics - Social determinants and care-use

Frank and McGuire (2000) noted that “mental health economics is like health economics only more so: uncertainty and variation in treatments are greater; the assumption of patient self-interested behavior is more dubious; response to financial incentives such as insurance is exacerbated; the social consequences and external costs of illness are more formidable.” Considering the prevalence of mental health problems—one in five American adults were estimated to have a mental illness in 2020 for example,—mental health economics research addresses key questions for economics with the potential for enormous societal impact. Such research helps to understand better how policies, social factors, and interventions affect mental health; how mental health services operate; and how those services interact with other related sectors like the criminal justice system or the housing market. To that end, this special issue focuses on critical topics of the causes of mental health and the services provided to people with mental illness across different international settings.

Golberstein, E. and C. Kronenberg PhD (2022), Editorial: Mental health economics - Social determinants and care-use. Health Economics, 31, S2, 3-5

DOI: 10.1002/hec.4608