Publications [#386093] of Emily A Cuddy

Journal Articles

1. Cuddy, E; Currie, J, Rules versus Discretion: Treatment of Mental Illness in US Adolescents, Journal of Political Economy (January, 2025) [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/18)

   Abstract:
   Many mental health disorders start in adolescence, and appropriate initial treatment may improve trajectories. But what is appropriate treatment? We use a large national database of insurance claims to examine the impact of initial mental health treatment on the outcomes of adolescent children over the next 2 years, where treatment is either consistent with US Food and Drug Administration guidelines, consistent with looser guidelines published by professional societies (gray area prescribing), or inconsistent with any guidelines (red-flag prescribing). We find that red-flag prescribing increases self-harm, use of emergency rooms, and health care costs, suggesting that treatment guidelines effectively scale up good treatment in practice.