Mental illness studies

Shah and Jenkins (2000) in a review of mental health economic studies from around the world identified 40 cost-of-illness studies, of which five covered all disorders, one neuroses, two panic disorders and one anxiety. All were from developed countries. There were numerous cost-effectiveness studies but none involving the anxiety disorders specifically. One study in the UK examined the cost-benefit analysis of a controlled trial of nurse therapy for neurosis in primary care (Ginsberg et al, 1984). 

Evaluation of the economics of mental illness in primary care is an ongoing initiative of the UK Department of Health (Lloyd and Jenkins, 1995). A similar American study in Washington State included sub-threshold anxiety or depression, but these imposed relatively little economic load compared with disorder-level anxiety or depression (Simon et al, 1995). Mental health treatment accounted for only a small part of overall utilization, approximately 5%. Nevertheless, most patients with anxiety or depressive disorders showed considerable improvement. This was accompanied by only modest reductions in cost. 

Rupp A, Cause EM, Regier, DA (1998). Research policy implications of cost-of-illness studies for mental disorders. Br J Psychiatry 173 (suppl. 36), 19-25. 

Hudson, Christopher G., Socioeconomic Status and Mental Illness Tests of the Social Causation and Selection Hypotheses , American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 75, no. 1 (2005) 3-18 The Humble Humbug , The Lancet 2 (1954) 321 Hunter, Aimee M., Andrew F. Leuchter, Melinda L. Morgan and Ian A. Cook, Changes in Brain Function (Quantitative EEG Cordance) During Placebo Lead-in and Treatment Outcomes in Clinical Trials for Major Depression , American Journal of Psychiatry 163, no. 8 (2006) 1426-32 Hyland, Michael E., Do Person Variables Exist in Different Ways , American Psychologist 40 (1985) 1003-10 Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group, Effect of Hypericum Perforatum (St John s Wort) in Major Depressive Disorder A Randomized Controlled Trial , Journal of the American Medical Association 287 (2002) 1807-14... 

The first recorded studies into the effects of cannabis were carried out by the French physician Moreau in the early 19th century, who was interested in the relationship between the state of cannabis intoxication and the characteristics of mental illness. Moreau and his students recorded their subjective experiences after consuming... 

Drevets WC, Krishnan KR. Neuroimaging studies of mood disorders in Neurobiology of Mental Illness (Charney DS, Nestler EJ, Bunney BS, Eds) Oxford University Press, New York 1999, pp 394-418... 

Callicott, J. H. and Weinberger, D. R. Neuropsychiatric dynamics the study of mental illness using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eur. J. Radiol.130 95-104,999. 

Goodman found still another series of atropine coma treatments for mental illness in the April 1963 issue of the Bulletin of Health Medical Science and History. Authors R. Dohnierski, M.D. and S. Smoczynski conducted their therapeutic studies in the Department of Psychic Diseases of the Medical School in Gdansk, Poland. 

Gun Ownership Tied to Higher Risk for Women s Murder, Suicide. American Medical News, vol. 40, April 21, 1997, p. 18. Reports a study that identified risk factors for death of women by murder or suicide. Guns are the most common cause of death, and mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence are all important factors. The article recommends encouraging people to store guns safely or to remove them from the household and supports laws that forbid gun purchase by convicted batterers. 

M. Brenner, Mental Illness and the Economy (Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press, 1973). See also M. Lennon, Work and Unemployment as Stressor, in Horwitz and Scheid, Handbook for the Study of Mental Health. 

Duman, R.S. (1999) The neurochemistry of mood disorders preclin-ical studies. In Charney, D.S., Nestler, E.J., and Bunney, B.S., eds. Neurobiology of Mental Illness, New York Oxford University Press, (pp. 333-347. 

Design alternatives have been used to limit the exposure of participants with mental illness to the risks of placebo conditions these include crossover studies, in which participants receive at different times in the protocol the experimental therapeutic and the placebo. These kinds of designs can enable each participant to receive the experimental agent or compound while also providing a scientifically rigorous approach to the question of interest (Roberts et ah, 1998). 

In studies involving persons with mental illnesses that may impair their judgment, an investigator should strongly consider using an independent qualified professional to assess the potential participants capacity to provide informed consent. 

These principles of collaboration are especially important in studies involving pediatric psychopharmacology, in part because the misunderstanding of pediatric mental illnesses and the concerns about medications, have created a climate of distrust and confusion. Direct and open communication between stakeholders and researchers is necessary to accomplish the goals of creating an ethical and valid scientific base. 

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