Economics of Mental Health – The Case for Investment in Prevention and Promotion

Prevention and Promotion - Literature Review and Scoping Study

In 2017, Deakin Health Economics was engaged by the Commission to produce a literature review and scoping study regarding mental health promotion and prevention initiatives in the Australian context.

The results of the study were considered at a ‘Best Buys’ stakeholder workshop in March 2018. The outcomes of the workshop informed the Commission’s selection of ten promotion and prevention interventions to be modelled using a return-to-investment framework. 

The interventions selected by the Commission have strong parallels with work completed in the UK and published in 2017 for Public Health England. Interventions for the Australian ‘Best Buys’ were prioritised on the basis of available evidence for clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness. The interventions were then selected by applying criteria determined by stakeholder attendees at the workshop in March. The criteria which were applied to the interventions included:

  • Scalability - to what extent can an intervention be realistically rolled out across all population groups who would benefit, and feasibility of maintaining program quality and fidelity at scale?
  • Sustainability - what is the financial cost of scaling up, and what is the longevity of outcomes likely to be beyond the interventions?
  • Opportunity Costs - what are the trade-offs, including workforce demands and re-direction of resources from other programs and/or policies?
  • Needs Based - with a focus on potential ‘burden of disease’, noting the priority is prevention and promotion of mental health.
  • Acceptability - what is the likelihood that individuals in the target population will accept the intervention, and what is the likelihood of generating ‘buy-in’ from policy decision makers?
  • Unanticipated Consequences - both positive and negative including accrual of downstream benefits and those across different sectors/portfolios.

 Details of the ten interventions are in the table below.

Intervention numberIntervention description
1Face to face psychological workplace interventions for depression prevention
2E-health psychological workplace interventions for the prevention of depression
3Exercise programs for the prevention of post-natal depression.
4Psychological interventions for prevention of post-natal depression.
5School based interventions for bullying prevention.
6Parenting interventions for prevention of anxiety disorders in children.
7School based psychological interventions to prevent depression in young people.
8E-Health workplace intervention for the prevention of depression.
9Educational interventions to reduce older person' loneliness.
10E-health interventions to reduce older person's loneliness.
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Acknowledgement of Country

The Commission acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Diversity

The Commission is committed to embracing diversity and eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of health services. The Commission welcomes all people irrespective of ethnicity, lifestyle choice, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lived Experience

We acknowledge the individual and collective contributions of those with a lived and living experience of mental ill-health and suicide, and those who love, have loved and care for them. Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to mental health suicide prevention systems reform.