Economics of Mental Health Care

Ruth F.G. Williams, Dr, School of Applied Economics, Victoria University of Technology, Australia and D.P. Doessel, Dr, Department of Economics, The University of Queensland, Australia. Ruth Williams has held academic positions in Brisbane and Melbourne since 1988. She is currently a Lecturer in the School of Applied Economics at the Victoria University. Her research interests are in health economics. She has authored papers in Economic Papers and Telecommunications Policy, and has a chapter in Choice and Change: The Ethics, Politics and Economics of Public Health. Her co-authored papers have been published in the Journal of Health Economics, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Surgery and the Australian Journal of Public Health. Darrel Doessel has held a full-time academic position since 1974. Currently, he is a Reader in Economics at The University of Queensland. His research interests are in the fields of welfare economics, public finance and health economics. He has co-edited the journal, Economic Analysis and Policy, the Proceedings of the Australian Conference of Health Economists and Health Economics: Australian Readings (1989). He has also edited Towards Evaluation in General Practice (1990) and The General Practice Evaluation Program (1993). He is the author of An Economic Analysis of End-Stage Renal Disease (1978), Cost-Benefit Analysis and Water Fluoridation (1979) and The Economics of Medical Diagnosis: Technological Change and Health Expenditure (1992) He is also co-author of The Economics of Natural Disaster Relief in Australia (1979)

’This book is one of the first attempts to apply the techniques of economic theory to the analysis of issues in mental health care. The authors show that the pervasiveness of non-rational behaviour in this complex area is no bar to the usefulness of economic analysis, sensitively applied. The book is recommended reading for health economists, students of economics and interested health professionals.’ Jonathan Baldry, Associate Professor of Economics, University of New England, Australia ’Ruth Williams and Darrel Doessel analyse and clarify aspects of eocnomic behaviour and policy arising from mental illness and disorders...the book takes an economistic approach, drawing on a great many references and examples...’ Pharma Pricing & Reimbursement ’As a mental health professional I applaud the authors' attempt to widen the debate in this clearly neglected area.’ Health Matters 'The contribution this book makes to the economic literature is to provide the first integrated economic conception and discussion of the mental health industry. The book constitutes not only an illuminating application of welfare economics, but is also a valuable contribution to the literature in public economics, as applied to the health sector...For policy-makers and researchers concerned with this sector of the economy, this book is compelling reading. More generally, this book provides convenient synopses of recent developments in microeconomics and public economics. Readers who are interested in these fields will enjoy reading this book.' Economy Analysis & Policy

• Contents: Introduction; Economics and mental health care; Some methodological issues; The welfare economics of mental health care; A survey of the economics of mental health care; The outputs of mental health care: I; The outputs of mental health care: II; The role of government in mental health care: a normative analysis; Mental health care in the household sector; Multiple inputs: the role of social capital in community-based strategies; Co-production and community-based services; Summary and future research; References; Indices.