Richard Wyatt, M.D., chief of neuropsychiatry, National
Institutes of Mental Health, said today at a news conference at
the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting here that
nearly 30 percent ($19 billion) of schizophrenia's cost involves
direct treatment and the rest is absorbed by other factors --
lost time from work for patients and care givers, social
services and criminal justice resources. Wyatt said
schizophrenia affects one percent of the population, accounts
for a fourth of all mental health costs and takes up one in
three psychiatric hospital beds. Since most schizophrenia
patients are never able to work, they must be supported for life
by Medicaid and other forms of public assistance. "The
debilitating nature of the illness brings enormous family and
societal costs that often go unnoticed because they're not
reported to health insurers or mental health agencies," said
Wyatt. Greater utilization of outpatient care is occurring
widely as states seek to hold the line on mental health costs by