NCJ Number
159797
Date Published
1981
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This report concludes that the combined cost to the U.S. economy of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and mental illness during 1977 totaled $106 billion: $49.4 billion due to alcohol abuse, $16.4 billion due to drug abuse, and $40.3 billion due to mental illness.
Abstract
The relatively conservative estimates include direct costs of society's response to alcohol, drug, and mental illness problems and indirect costs stemming from reduced conomic productivity caused by these disorders. The report itself discusses conceptual and methodological issues associated with the cost estimation process, reviews and compares previous cost studies, presents detailed data on direct and indirect costs, and offers recommendations for further study. Technical appendixes detail cost estimation procedures and the specific methodology for alcohol abusing, drug abusing, and mentally ill populations. References and tables