Will a Shrink Make you Richer? Gender Differences in the Effects of Psychotherapy on Labour Efficiency
Journal
European economic review : EER
ISSN
0014-2921
ISSN-Digital
1873-572X
Type
forthcoming
Date Issued
2017-10-14
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper provides a first theoretical and empirical analysis of the effects of psychotherapy on individual productivity. We build a simple model in which a deterioration of mental health endogenously causes a decrease in productivity, which is counterbalanced by psychotherapy. We test our hypotheses on the British Household Panel Survey data. We find that individuals suffering from mental health problems benefit economically from consulting a psychotherapist. Moreover, we find that the returns are higher for men than for women, even though women are more likely to seek help.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Economic Policy
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher place
Amsterdam
Volume
online
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
253506