The Cost of Mental Health Care for Victims of Crime

Abstract

This article reports on a nationally representative survey of 168 mental health care professionals about their treatment of crime victims. It is estimated that in 1991, between 3.1 and 4.7 million individuals in the United States received some form of mental health counseling or therapy in which they were being treated primarily as a result of victimization. More than half of these victims are estimated to be adults being seen for child sexual or physical abuse that occurred years prior to their victimization. Crime victims are estimated to represent about 20% to 25% of the total client population of mental health care professionals. Actual expenditures for mental health care services to victims of crime are estimated to be between $5.8 and $6.8 billion. This survey estimated the actual use of mental health care services as opposed to the mental health status of victims. Because many crime victims do not receive mental health care services that would be beneficial, the authors' estimates understate the true costs of mental illness caused by criminal victimization.