Measuring the economic costs of schizophrenia.

This article reviews recent data on the cost of mental illness and schizophrenia in the United States, comparing figures for 1985 with data from 1955. The rate of increase in all categories of direct costs has exceeded growth in other health care expenditures. Several major issues in measuring the economic cost of schizophrenia and mental illness are important both from the perspective of costs involved and from the perspective of policy. Two of these are discussed: costs to families with a mentally ill family member and costs of publicly owned capital facilities. Correct accounting for these costs is important for making decisions about the relative cost-effectiveness of community-based and hospital-based treatment programs.