Costing schizophrenia

Abstract

This article looks at a particular subset of mental illness in Australia: schizophrenia, and reflects on how the direct costs that fall within the parametres of the health budget are privileged (inscribed), compared to how indirect costs that fall outside this boundary fail to be inscribed appropriately. This article concludes that, from a social accounting point of view, this boundary is arbitrary and an example of poor accounting.

Keywords:

• Accounting
• Mental health
• Schizophrenia
• Public policy
• Inscription
• Social accounting

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the following generous people for their comments and support: Prof. Colin Haslam, Prof. Kerry Jacobs, Assoc. Prof. Mary Kaidonis, Prof. Michael Gaffikin, Prof. Alan Dunk and Dr. Ruth Hines.