The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, NAMI Ohio and The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Services Providers held a press conference about the economic impact of mental health on Jan. 9, 2025. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal).
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Increasing access to mental health services would boost the economy, according to a new study.
The cost of untreated mental health challenges to the U.S. economy is nearly $300 billion — mainly due to lost productivity and higher health care expenditures, according to a new study from the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers.
“The economic toll of untreated mental health and substance use disorders is quite staggering, with wide ranging effects on the labor market outcomes, productivity and overall economic growth,” Teresa Lampl, CEO of the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Service Providers, said Thursday during a press conference. “Untreated mental health issues lead to high rates of absenteeism, decreased productivity and reduced production.”
Improving access to mental health supports would add an additional $53 billion in economic output nationally, according to the study.
“Investments in mental health and substance use programs simply promote business through enhanced productivity and reduce costs associated with mental health and substance use challenges,” Lampl said. “A healthy workforce yields benefits … supports greater economic growth, which in turn stimulates economic spending, which is good for all of us, but most importantly, it’s good for the individuals who find health and wellness.”
Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults have a mental health condition and Lampl hopes to see funding for increased access to mental health support in Ohio’s biennial state budget.
“The state budget is always a place where we see the most important, in terms of economic investment, in mental health and substance use, prevention and treatment services,” she said.
Recovery from mental illness increases employment and workforce participation up to 42%, and there is an average return of $4 in improved health and productivity for every $1 spent on mental health treatment, according to the study.
Mental health issues that go untreated can lead to higher rates of absenteeism, decreased productivity, reduced participation in the workforce and unemployment, according to the Ohio Council study.
Workers with mild untreated mental illness miss an average of 9.3 hours of work per week and those with serious mental illness miss 12.5 hours of work per week, according to the study.
The impact of suicides are widespread, said Tony Coder, executive director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
“Suicide, as heartbreaking and difficult as it is for families … stretches far beyond the family,” he said. “This impact is felt by communities, faith based organizations, schools, the general public and yes, even businesses. Making sure that people are healthy, both physically and with their mental health, is not only the right thing to do from a moral lens, it’s also equally the right thing to do from a business lens.”
Only half of the adults in need of mental health services accessed them last year as the need for mental health and substance abuse services has not kept up with demand, according to the report.
“If we looked at every practitioner who’s available to provide care, that practitioner would have 380 people who need care on an annual basis,” Lampl said. “It’s a simple math problem. There are not enough people caring for people.”
The behavioral health workforce needs to grow, Lampl said.
“We have to value and recognize these practitioners for the life changing and life saving care they deliver every single day,” Lampl said. “We need a human infrastructure of people caring for people.”
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