Eighteenth Workshop on Costs and Assessment in Psychiatry

MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, SERVICES, ECONOMICS, POLICY RESEARCH

Venice, Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
March 26-28, 2027

SPONSORSHIP
World Psychiatric Association (WPA)
Section on Mental Health Economics

BACKGROUND

Since 1990 a number of workshops (please, visit our website at www.icmpe.org) aimed at facilitating the integration of research performed in disciplines that evaluate the mental health field from different scientific perspectives have been organized in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), and national governmental institutions, in particular the US NIMH, the UK Department of Health, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 1990 fifteen international workshops have been held in Europe and in the U.S. These workshops have enabled participants of more than 100 countries (psychiatrists, health economists, psychologists, medical sociologists, public health researchers, and statisticians from universities, government agencies and hospital units) to come together and discuss empirical findings from clinical and economic evaluation studies and seek ways of using this information in health care decision making.

THE JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND ECONOMICS

Since 1998, The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics has served as a forum for publishing high quality, peer-reviewed original research studies. The first medical journal that takes account of the relationships between health economics and health policy formulation at the specialty level, it is an authoritative reference for psychiatrists, health economists, and public health researchers round the world who are seeking published original research in this field. It is the official Journal of the WPA Section on Mental Health Economics and the reference journal for the mental health sector of the International Health Economics Association (iHEA). The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics has been selected to be indexed by Index Medicus / Medline, Journal of Economic Literature / EconLit and Clarivate Social Sciences Citation Index
 
THE WILLARD MANNING AWARD IN MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND ECONOMICS RESEARCH

The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, conscious of its role and responsibility in stimulating high quality interdisciplinary research in the field of mental health policy and economics, has decided to evaluate the articles it has published in the past and offer awards to those articles it considers especially worthy. 
 
The Willard Manning Award in Mental Health Policy and Economics Research – 2027 will be given on the basis of scientific merit to the author(s) of one article published in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics during the years 2025 and 2026. The prize will go to an article of outstanding research value in the development of the interdisciplinary field of mental health policy and economics. All articles accepted by and published in the Journal during that time are eligible for consideration, and will be judged retrospectively by the Journal’s Associate Editors. Two “Excellence in Mental Health Policy and Economics Awards” will also be given out. The evaluation procedures for all the awards are described in detail on www.icmpe.org The Award Ceremony will be held during the Eighteenth Workshop on Costs and Assessment in Psychiatry to be held in Venice from March 26-28, 2027.
 
 
VENICE WORKSHOP 2025

Subject areas (not exhaustive) for the submission of abstracts of original research are listed below. In the tradition dating to the 2000 Workshop in Chicago, we plan to publish selected abstracts in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.

The Burden of Mental and Addictive Disorders

·             Burden of Illness / Cost of Illness Studies
·             Costs of Psychiatric and Medical Comorbidities
·             Family and Worksite Consequences
·             Labor Market Impacts

The Economic Assessment of Psychiatric Treatments and Services Provision

·             Cost-benefit, Cost-effectiveness, and Cost-utility Analysis of:
·             Inpatient and Outpatient Services
·             New Psychotropic Medications for Mental and Addictive Disorders
·             Psychotherapy and Psychological Treatments
·             Psychosocial Interventions
·             Preventive Services
·             Digital Health, Treatments and Interventions

Outcomes Analysis 

·             Clinical Measures:
                    Diagnosis, Symptoms, Disabilities, Quality of Life 
                    Treatment Side-effects 
                    Disorder-specific and General Health Measures 
              Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO)
·             Social Measures:
                    Social Activity Measures 
                    Productivity Measures 
·             Utility Measures:
                    Utility Measures of Disease-specific and General Health States and Disabilities 
                    Patient Subjective Usefulness and Preferences of Outcomes and Interventions
 ·             Digital Health and Outcomes Assessment and Monitoring

Financing Psychiatric Services and Treatments

·             Analysis of  Services for Mental and Addictive Disorders
·             Public and Private Financing of Psychiatric Services
·             Contractual Arrangements and Financial Risks for Providers and Payers
·             Parity in Financing Psychiatric and Medical Services
·             Innovative Payment Methods
·             Access to psychiatric services and treatments
·             Reimbursements of services and pharmaceuticals
·             Aging, Epidemiological Transition and Planning of  Psychiatric Services
 
Financing Psychiatric and Social Services for Special Populations

·             Financing Community Psychiatric Services for:
·             -   Severe Mental and Addictive Disorders
·             -   Deinstitutionalization of Long-term Institutionalized Individuals
·             -   Young Severely Ill Patients
·             -   Chronic Psychiatric Patients
·             -   Medically Underserved Populations
·             -   Different Racial and Ethnic Groups Minorities
·             -   Homeless Individuals

              -   Populations with Criminal Justice Involvement

             Health and Socioeconomic Disparities
·            Peer Support among Subjects with Severe Mental Illness
·            Housing

Rationing

·             Management of Psychiatric Care
·             Rationing Psychiatric Services, Burden on Families and Out-of-Pocket Expenditures
·             Formularies
·             Cost-Shifting Patterns between Psychiatric and Social Services
 
Mental Health Policy

·             Mental Health Policy Formulation
·             Analysis of Mental Health Policy Implementation
·             Drug Reimbursement Policy Models
·             Mental Health Policies in Different Regions of the World
·             “Recovery” Oriented Models

Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic 

·             Risk of infection and mortality in populations with pre-existing severe mental disorders
·             Population level management of the economic fallout related trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression
·             Changes in the supply of and demand for psychiatric services
·             Population level management of the economic fallout related trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression
·             Contribution of the pandemic to the economic burden of mental disorders
·             Costs and benefits of alternative COVID-19 response strategies related to mental disorders
·             Use of financial incentives in public health prevention strategies

Ethics and Perspectives

·             Need, Demand and Medical Necessity
·             Analysis of Perspectives and Behaviors (Patients, Families, Clinicians, Payers, Mental Health
·             Services and Health Technology Providers, Managed Care Companies, Society)
·             Moral Hazard
·             Involuntary Commitment Policies and Practices
·             Civil Rights
·             Stigma

ORGANIZATION SECRETARIAT

International Center of Mental Health Policy and Economics
ICMPE
Via Daniele Crespi 7
20123 Milan
Italy
E-mail:        info@icmpe.org
Website:     www.icmpe.org
 
WORKSHOP LANGUAGE

The official language of the workshop is English.
 
VENUE

Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
(near Santa Lucia Railway Station and Piazzale Roma)
S. Polo 2454
30125 Venice
Italy
 
SCHEDULE

The Workshop will be held on March 26-28, 2027

March 26, 2027    3:00p.m. - 6:00p.m.     Registration
                                6:00p.m. - 7:00p.m.     OPENING CEREMONY
                                7:00pm                          Cocktails
March 27, 2027    9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
March 28, 2027    9:00 a.m. -   1:00 p.m. 

ABSTRACTS

Abstracts must be in English and in the style format required by The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics (please visit the website www.icmpe.org ). Abstracts (cm 21 x 18) must be structured (Background, Aims of the Study, Methods, Results, Discussion and Limitations, Implications for Health Care Provision and Use, Implications for Health Policies, and Implications for Further Research) on the basis of the particular content of the study. The abstract will not exceed 500 words. The source of funding must be indicated at the end of the abstract, along with the grant number(s). If there was no source of direct or indirect funding, please write: “Source of Funding: None Declared.”

The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics
 
Abstracts Publication
The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics will publish the Abstracts selected for presentation at the Eighteenth Venice Workshop in an issue of the Journal.  The Abstracts selected for presentation at the Eighteenth Workshop will be published in Vol. 30, Supplement n. 1 (2027).
The Authors are requested to send by E-mail (Dead Line: October 30, 2026) an electronic copy of their Abstract(s) to: journal@icmpe.org using Word for attachment

The electronic copy of the abstracts received after October 30, 2026 may not be considered for the selection of the Abstracts to be published on the Journal.  

ABSTRACTS SUBMISSION

Abstracts must be sent together with the Meeting Registration Form to the International Center of Mental Health Policy and Economics (ICMPE), Via Daniele Crespi 7 - 20123 Milan, Italy. The dead-line for submitting abstracts is October 30, 2026.

The Abstracts must be sent:

- by email (to journal@icmpe.org (please use Word, only text)

Please specify whether the abstract is to be presented as an Oral Communication or a Poster (max. 100 cm. wide x 150 cm high).
If you authorize publication of the abstract in the Book of Abstracts and on the website www.icmpe.org, please sign the abstract form where

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM REQUEST

ICMPE, Via Daniele Crespi 7, 20123 Milano, Italy

REGISTRATION

Because places are strictly limited, you are asked to send your completed registration form by email  to info@icmpe.org
Please include your fax number and e-mail on your form.

REGISTRATION FEES

Before October 30, 2026   =   Euro    900

After   October 30, 2026   =   Euro    1000
On site                                  =   Euro    1050

MEANS of Payment

Credit Card                                   Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard

Bank Transfer* to:                      Should you prefer this option, ICMPE will provide you with detailed Information on the procedure.

REIMBURSEMENT

If you provide written notice of cancellation postmarked before February 10, 2027, your fee will be reimbursed less a Euro 100 handling fee.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Some scholarships are available for young researchers who must be under 36 years old on March 20, 2025. Nominations, together with a career summary of the applicant, should be sent by October 30, 2024 to Dr. M. Moscarelli, by email  to info@icmpe.org

Please include your fax number and e-mail on your form.

VISA

Researchers are advised to contact their nearest Italian consulate at least 1 month before departure, to see whether they need a visa to attend the conference in Venice. Do not hesitate to contact the Organizing Committee should you require assistance with this matter.