Socioeconomic Costs of Mental Illness: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Mental illness is a psychological health problem that causes disability and impairment. A population suffering from mental illnesses experience a wide range of social and workrelated problems that have economic impacts. Keeping in view the seriousness of this issue a systematic review of existing literature was done for identifying facts and figures on the socioeconomic costs of mental illness among general populations. A Systematic Narrative Review was done by searching studies in electronic databases like Google Scholar, Wiley Online, Oxford Journals, Science Direct and Taylor & Francis. The results showed that mental illness causes social problems like, e.g., stigma, low selfesteem, poor quality of life, clinical problems. Moreover, its economic impacts include cost associated with treatment, absenteeism, accidents, and turnover intentions. Findings of the current study revealed that mental illness has both social and economic impacts, therefore, proactive steps need to be taken together at individual and institutional levels for overcoming costs associated with mental health illnesses.