In recognition of the recent World Bipolar Day, the BBC has revealed new figures for the cost of bipolar disorder which is now estimated at £9.6 billion in the UK. This is an updated estimate based on the earlier study about the cost of bipolar disorder in the UK led by Professor Judit Simon from the Department of Health Economics, Medical University of Vienna and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford.
Estimates show that bipolar disorder poses major mental and non-mental healthcare costs, but more than twice as much burden falls on patients and their families in the form of sick leave and informal care. The study also found that costs are closely linked to the severity of depressive and manic symptoms. Therefore, better integrated mental and physical healthcare and improved long-term symptom management could substantially reduce societal costs. This is a conservative estimate, since the total health and economic burden of bipolar disorder is likely to be even bigger when considering under- and misdiagnosed cases, or the additional costs of unemployment and the justice sector.
A new paper on progress of gender equality and the emerging visibility and reputation of women in UK academic health economics has been recently published in the top journal Social Science & Medicine. The publication has direct links to the Department of Health Economics at the Center for Public Health of the Medical University of Vienna, which was established in 2013: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953625001236
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Michael Berger from the Department of Health Economics has been awarded the prestigious Erwin-Schrödinger scholarship by the FWF for his research project “Mortgages, Household Economic Resilience and Health”. The Erwin Schrödinger program allows highly qualified postdocs to pursue career-enhancing stays at internationally renowned research institutions. Beginning on April 1, 2025, Michael Berger will join the Max Planck – University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health (MaxHel) as a visiting researcher for one year. In collaboration with Prof. Pekka Martikainen, a leading researcher in health inequalities and director of the MaxHel, he will use comprehensive data on household debt, employment, homeownership, and health from the Finnish population to deepen the understanding of the connection between wealth and health.
The new Advisory Committee on Public Health Emergencies (ACPHE) was set up in order to support and advise the European Commission and Member States before, during and after a public health emergency. It is an important element of the European Health Union for a stronger response to cross-border health threats.
Judit Simon (Department of Health Economics, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna) is one of the 44 independent expert members of ACPHE selected from a wide range of disciplines and sectors. In the event of a serious crisis, the Committee will advise whether or not a given situation should be recognized by the Commission as a public health emergency. In addition, the Committee will recommend measures to mitigate the effects of such a public health emergency.
ACPHE held its first face-to-face meeting in Luxembourg on 14-15 January. The meeting was opened by Commissioner Várhelyi and joined by representatives from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, as well as advisory committee observers.
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