The comparative health system efficiency for treating chronic physical and mental disorders

精神障碍占澳大利亚疾病负担的15%，是残疾的最大原因。所有精神障碍都有有效的治疗方法，但澳大利亚的大多数患者没有接受这些有效的治疗。因此，在澳大利亚，精神障碍造成的疾病负担依然存在。为什么会这样呢？精神障碍是否有什么独特之处，意味着直接治疗几乎无能为力？只有与其他慢性疾病进行比较，才能真正理解精神卫生治疗的可行性和可负担性。这种比较特别重要，因为精神健康仍然是卫生部门的一个耻辱领域。如果没有比较数据，批评者很容易主张减少对精神障碍患者的资助。项目成果：对于澳大利亚的三种慢性身体疾病（骨关节炎，类风湿性关节炎，哮喘），该项目将确定当前护理的成本效益，最佳护理的成本效益（每个人都得到有效的治疗），以及高质量医疗保健可以避免的疾病负担。这些研究结果将与我们为精神障碍所做的类似计算进行比较，以确定澳大利亚的医疗保健系统是否需要付出更多的努力。

Mental disorders account for 15% of the burden of disease in Australia, and are the largest cause of disability. Effective treatments are available for all mental disorders, however the majority of sufferers in Australia do not receive these treatments that work. Hence the burden of disease due to mental disorders in Australia persists. Why is this so? Is there something unique about mental disorders that means little can be done with direct treatment? The feasibility and affordability of mental health treatment can only be truly understood in comparison with other chronic disorders. Such comparisons are particularly significant as mental health remains a stigmatised area of the health sector. Without comparative data it would be easy for critics to argue for decreased funding for people with mental disorders. Project Outcomes: For three chronic physical disorders in Australia (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma) this project will define the cost-effectiveness of current care, the cost-effectiveness of optimal care (everyone getting treatments that work), and the amount of disease burden that can be averted with high-quality health care. These findings will be compared to similar calculations we have produced for mental disorders, to determine if it is mental disorders or chronic disorders per se that require much more effort by the health care system in Australia.