Mental Illness in America Costs $282 Billion Annually, Study Estimates

Source: United Press International - Health NewsAmerica's mental health woes essentially serve as an annual economic downturn for the nation, a new study suggests. Mental illness costs the U.S. economy $282 billion every year, equivalent to the average economic recession, researchers say. That amount is equal to about 1.7% of American annual spending, and is about 30% larger than previous estimates of the overall cost of mental illness in the United States, according to the report.