When considering the differences between adults and children in the proportion spent on mental health care as compared with that spent on total health care, it is important to note that cost estimates also include care for chronic medical conditions, which are more prevalent in adults than in children. As such, a higher concentration of spending on mental health services was anticipated for children as compared with adults. However, lower total costs of care (mental health and non-mental health combined) were also anticipated for children, given the expectation of higher non-mental health spending among adults. Instead, total costs were similar when comparing adult and child estimates because of higher spending on mental health treatment among children. This may be due to difficulties in accurately diagnosing bipolar disorder in children (i.e., diagnostic uncertainty) and the high rates of co-morbid mental health conditions that accompany pediatric bipolar disorder.
