CALL for Evidence & Participation in Reference Group

Maternal Mental Health AllianceFor a study on the economic consequences of maternal mental health problems during the perinatal period conducted by PSSRU/LSE and Centre for Mental Health

As part of the Everyone's Business Campaign, London School of Economics (LSE) and Centre for Mental Health are to publish a report looking at the 'Economic Consequences of Maternal Mental Health Problems in the Perinatal Period'.

As a first step in this work, LSE & Centre for Mental Health have just issued a call for any information in this area, and in particular:

  • National and International studies which measure the outcomes of individuals exposed to perinatal mental health problems - including mothers, children and their partners.
  • Evidence on the (cost-) effectiveness of interventions or information about the cost of running a specific intervention.
  • Information about any other relevant studies that you are aware of.

Call for Evidence

In preparation for a cost-of-illness study the Maternal Mental Health Alliance calls for information on evidence in this area. In particular, we look for national and international studies which measure the outcomes of individuals exposed to perinatal mental health problems; this includes the outcomes for mothers, their children and partners. We also look for evidence on the (cost-) effectiveness of interventions or other information on interventions (for example costs of running them). The information may be drawn from studies which are being carried out at the moment or from completed studies.

Purpose

Based on information we will receive from this call and information we collected previously we aim to produce a comprehensive map of the evidence which serves to inform a cost-of-illness study in the UK context. This information is important as it sizes the resources that could potentially be saved if problems were prevented or cured. As far as we are aware there has not been an attempt to comprehensively capture the costs associated with maternal mental health problems during the perinatal period.

Proposed Cost-of-Illness Study

Researchers from the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at LSE and from the Centre for Mental Health (CMH) aim to address this in a study which is funded by Comic Relief and will take place in cooperation with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA). A report with our findings will be launched at the end of the study in September/October 2014.

We aim to carry out a comprehensive (rather than detailed) evaluation of the costs of maternal mental health problems which occur during the perinatal phase, with the following approach:

  • A focus on the perspective of the public sector and the family
  • Combining different data sets with modelling techniques
  • Looking at a long-term time horizon
  • Starting from the full scope of perinatal mental health problems (e.g. perinatal depression, psychosis, anxiety, OCD) but narrow it down based on the evidence
  • Using data published in the literature as well as data that we receive from practice and unpublished research (if appropriate)
  • Involvement of a range of experts
  • This includes the establishment of a reference group

Although the focus will be on establishing the cost-of-illness, we will explore cost-effectiveness thresholds based on evidence about the effectiveness of interventions.

Getting Involved

  • To pass on information about studies that you are aware of and other relevant evidence please email Emily Slater, Emily@www.app-network.org, by 14th November 2013.
  • If you are interested in participating in the reference group please also get in contact with Emily Slater, Emily@www.app-network.org  as soon as possible and by 14th November 2013 the latest.