"Better management of psychiatric problems would reduce the economic and social costs they cause."

Isabelle Durand-Zaleski, a doctor, economist and head of the AP-HP clinical health economics research unit, who teaches at the University of Paris-Est, explores different avenues for improving the management of mental illnesses.

You can't just say that. A great deal of attention is being paid to mental health, as evidenced by the mobilization leading up to 2025, for which it was made a major national cause. We must pay tribute to Marion Leboyer [psychiatrist at the Albert-Chenevier Hospital in Créteil] who worked hard to prepare for this year. The stigmatization of patients has diminished. Ministries and major companies have gotten involved. Progress has been made.

Today, health insurance spends €26.2 billion on mental illness and psychiatric disorders, or 14% of the total. This is the largest expenditure item, ahead of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In total, 8.5 million people are affected, two-thirds of whom have received prescriptions for psychotropic drugs, such as anxiolytics or antidepressants.

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