Surprise! Americans are in trouble when it comes to mental health.
Mental Health America has released a new report measuring each state's situation in terms of mental health, and the insights are a good indication of where we need to improve and better understand mental health as a nation.
For the study, MHA measured fifteen different areas across the United States:
2023 Mental Health Measures:
1. Adults with Any Mental Illness (AMI)
2. Adults with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
3. Adults with Serious Thoughts of Suicide
4. Youth with at Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE)in the Past Year
5. Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
6. Youth with Severe MDE
7. Adults with AMI Who Did Not Receive Treatment
8. Adults with AMI Reporting Unmet Need
9. Adults with AMI Who Are Uninsured
10. Adults Reporting 14+ Mentally Unhealthy Days a Month Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs
11. Youth with MDE Who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services
12. Youth with Severe MDE Who Received Some Consistent Treatment
13. Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems
14. Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program
15. Mental Health Workforce Availability
The report includes a comprehensive ranking for each state in each category, and can be viewed or downloaded from the Mental Health America website.