INDIANAPOLIS — Untreated mental illness in the Hoosier state comes at a cost of more than $4 billion a year, according to a new Indiana University study.
The research published by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health found that one in five Indiana residents with mental illness do not receive the treatment they need. Hoosiers who do not receive such treatment are also more likely to experience other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, researchers said.
The economic burden of untreated mental illness in Indiana is estimated to be $4.2 billion annually, including $3.3 billion in indirect costs — like unemployment and caregiving — $708.5 million in direct healthcare costs, and $185.4 million in non-healthcare costs.
The largest cost attributable to untreated mental illness was premature mortality, at over $1.4 billion. Productivity losses were estimated to cost $885 million each year.
The findings were published Oct. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers worked with the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission to perform their analysis. The research was used in support of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which passed during the 2023 legislative session.
The sweeping legislation will create a new mental health care system in Indiana, fortifying the relatively new 988 crisis response center and hotline with funding for mental health emergencies. It hinges on three concepts: someone for Hoosiers to call, someone to respond, and somewhere for Hoosiers to go.
The IU study population consisted of more than 6.1 million individuals of whom an estimated 429,000 had untreated mental illness in 2019, according to the research paper.
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