EDITORIAL: Must End Stigma To Control Spiraling Costs Of Mental Illness

Oct. 12--Name the disease that, by 2030, will be the costliest in the world in terms of treatment and lost income due to disability.

Cancer? Nope. Heart disease? No. Diabetes? Wrong again.

Mental illness.

The World Health Organization marked Monday as World Mental Health Day. It's a good time to note that disorders of the brain are quickly becoming the world's most expensive in terms of treatment and lost productivity and easily among the world's most heartbreaking.

Addiction, Depression Are Costliest

Mental illness, particularly depression, will affect one in four people in their lifetimes. A prominent sign of this is the rising rate of suicide in many countries, including our own, and the disturbing fact that worldwide, suicide is the leading cause of death for teenage girls ages 15 to 19.

After depression, the most costly brain disease in terms of years lost to disability or death is alcohol addiction, with drug addiction not far behind.

Drug overdoses from addiction are already killing more people in Connecticut every year than motor vehicle accidents. Mental illness also includes Alzheimer's disease, a terminal form of dementia becoming more common as the world's population ages. It will become a particular concern in states like Connecticut, which is among the 10 oldest in terms of median age, according to the U.S. Census.

The world cost of mental illness was judged to be $2.5 trillion in 2010 and will climb to $6 trillion by 2030, according to a study by Harvard University'sSchool of Public Health and the World Economic Forum. The cost of mental illness is so high because it strikes people at a young age, during their working years. If untreated, it can become chronic, resulting in years of lost income and ill health, because those with mental illness are four times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

Drug overdoses and death from suicide also cut short young lives. And the families and caregivers of those struggling with mental illness are themselves more likely to experience depression and anxiety.

How Stigma Affects Congress

Underlying the whole problem of mental illness is stigma. The unwarranted shame of the illness keeps people from seeking help and makes suicide more likely; it also keeps family members from seeking support.

Stigma is surely a factor in stopping the U.S., the world's richest country, from having an affordable, effective mental health treatment system. Congress showed promise that it was taking this issue seriously when it passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act in 2008 to force insurers to treat mental illness the same as physical illness. But the law is largely unenforced.

Another sign of stigma was when Congress rejected significant funding this year to help those addicted to opioid drugs, despite the fact that 78 people are dying a day from this terrible affliction. The fight against the Zika virus got more than $1 billion from Congress last month. When the White House asked for $1.1 billion to fight opioid abuse, Congress passed less than one-quarter of that amount. Yes, the Zika virus can produce frightening birth defects and must be stopped. But those who are battling addiction do not deserve the government's neglect.

If the nation could do one thing to influence how mental illness is treated, it would be to address the stigma that is so crippling. We need more openness about mental illness, more frank discussions, more willingness on the part of lawmakers and ordinary citizens alike to react with compassion instead of indifference or prejudice.

Stigma is the first, most daunting barrier that must be overcome if America is to make progress against this heartbreaking illness. The price tag of mental illness may be frightening, but for those who have it, the suffering and isolation it causes are even worse.

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