Untreated mental health issues in pregnant women and new mothers in Thailand represent an economic cost of an estimated 68 billion baht a year, with nearly half of the burden falling on children, a new report has found.
The report, launched on Thursday at a symposium held at Chulalongkorn University, found that untreated mental health conditions during pregnancy and after childbirth impose wide-ranging economic and social costs that extend far beyond healthcare, affecting productivity, long-term disability and child development.
Of the estimated annual economic burden, around 31 billion baht, or 45%, is linked to impacts on children, underscoring the long-term consequences of untreated maternal mental health conditions on the next generation.
