Cost To Treat Mental Health Rising Faster Than Cancer

The cost of treatment for depression and other mental health conditions grew at a faster rate than any other medical condition between 1996 and 2006.

Over the course of 10 years, the cost of treating mental illness grew by almost two-thirds from $35 billion to nearly $58 billion, when the numbers are controlled for inflation, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

That means spending on treatment for mental illness is rising at a faster pace than treatment for cancer, heart disease and trauma-related disorders.

Meanwhile, during the same 10-year period the number of Americans treated for mental illness nearly doubled from 19 million to 36 million.

Even as overall costs rose, however, the average cost to treat an individual for a mental disorder actually dropped from $1,825 to $1,591.