Unsurprisingly, a wide range of contributing factors are influencing this growth, most recently the impacts of COVID-19. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 55% of women and 38% of men experienced worsened mental health due to COVID-19. In addition to health-related concerns, Carepatron has found that the global pandemic forced people to remain inside, cutting them off from support networks and contributing to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Mental Health America (MHA) also found that 15.08% of youth had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, which is a 1.24% increase since 2021.
In what states are mental health rates the most prevalent?
Annual data collected by Mental Health America (MHA) reveals location-specific trends in relation to mental health prevalence. Oregon performed poorly, ranking with the highest prevalence of adult mental health and substance issue rates in both 2014 and 2022.
MHA also calculated an Overall Mental Health Ranking by combining the highest prevalence of mental illness with the lowest rates of access to care and determined that Nevada was at the very bottom of this scale in both 2014 and 2022.
In what states are mental health rates increasing the fastest?
To determine places in America that have experienced increasing mental health rates, we selected the 2017 data and compared it to the data released in 2022. Some of the most notable findings include:
- Connecticut
Connecticut moved from 1st place to 9th. Although Connecticut is still in the top 10 ranked states, it is nevertheless important to note that it has moved down 8 spots within 5 years.
- Illinois
Illinois moved from 2nd place to 16th. Once again, considering there are 51 states, being 16th for the prevalence of mental health rates doesn’t seem too bad. Yet this is still a significant decrease over only 5 years.
- North Dakota
North Dakota moved from 4th place to 33rd, indicating a fairly significant increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders within that state.
One of the best ways to determine whether or not a certain area (whether this is a state or something more local) can manage increased mental health rates is by identifying how accessible healthcare is.
You can find the full report here.
