RESUMO
Background : The economic costs and proportion of disease burden attributable to mental, emotional and behavioural disorders (MEBs) is enormous. This emphasizes on the need for treating the MEBs. Choosing the most cost effective intervention is the key aspect in planning mental health services. Objective: The aim of the present article is to review the studies on cost-effective interventions for MEBs. Methodology: A review of various studies on the above subject was done using Google Scholar and PubMed. Results: Most of these studies are from developed countries. Many of them are conducted by World Health Organization (WHO). There is paucity of data on cost-effectiveness of interventions in the developing world. There are cost-effective interventions available for most of the MEBs. Conclusions: There are cost-effective interventions for MEBs. The available cost-effective strategies need to be incorporated with necessary modifications to tailor to the local needs. Proper planning is crucial for successful approach to mental health. Prevention is the most cost-effective strategy
RESUMO
Background: Mental health is not a priority area for policy makers even today. Objective: The objective of the present review is to sensitize policy makers regarding the importance of investing in mental health. Appraising the policy makers about the costs of mental illness and the negative economic consequences of poor investment in mental health on the society are the aims. Methodology: A review of various studies on the above subject was done using Google Scholar and PubMed. Results: Most of the studies are from World Health Organization (WHO). There is paucity of studies from the developing world. The costs of mental illnesses are high. The indirect costs are much higher than direct costs. Mental illnesses impact not only the individuals but also the family and society at large. Conclusions: The indirect costs of mental illnesses are much higher than the direct costs i.e. the negative economic consequences of not treating the mental illness is much higher than the costs of treatment as concluded by the World Economic Forum. Mental health and socio-economic development appear to go hand in hand. Investing in mental health is therefore investing for development.
RESUMO
The burden of psychiatric illness in the country is very high. The progress of a country is linked closely with the mentalhealth of its individuals. Mental health and poverty form a vicious circle and there cannot be development withoutgood mental health. Promoting mental health is thus very critical and this cannot happen without quality psychiatrictraining in the country. There are very few studies addressing the quality of psychiatric training in the country. Thoughthere is a recent increase in the number of medical colleges offering psychiatric training with the mushrooming of theprivate institutions, the quality and standards of psychiatric education is not uniform in all of them. There is an urgentneed for reforming postgraduate and undergraduate training in the country. There are definite pitfalls but there is ascope for improvement also.