Analyzing data available for every state from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education, Mental Health America (MHA) released its finding on July 29 on the state of mental health across the country. The report, The State of Mental Health in America used 2022 data.
The results showed that Massachusetts (1), Connecticut (2), and Maine (3) scored highest, while Nevada (51), Arizona (50), and Montana (51) ranked the lowest.
According to the analysis nearly 60 million adults (23.08%) experienced a mental illness in the past year.
Even more troubling is that nearly 13 million adults (5.04%) reported serious thoughts of suicide. The number of individuals who died by suicide in 2022 was the highest number ever recorded in the U.S., up after slight decreases in 2019 and 2020.
And more than 45 million adults (17.82%) and 2.3 million youth (8.95%) are experiencing a substance use disorder.
"We are living in a time of polycrisis when evidence shows that the need for mental health care is urgent,” said Schroeder Stribling, CEO of MHA, in a statement. “High numbers of adults and youth alike are having serious thoughts of suicide, following a year with a record high number for completed suicides, substance use is on the rise, and other indicators of distress and disparity continue to escalate.
“And yet obstacles such as high costs or a shortage of mental health providers prevent so many Americans from accessing the help they need. Mental Health America continues to advocate for policy and practice improvements that focus on upstream prevention and early intervention so that all people—as they deserve—have an opportunity to recover and flourish.”
Obstacles to Getting Help
Nearly 6 million adults (10.1%) with a mental illness are uninsured, compared with 9.3% of adults without a mental illness.
And 24.6% of adults who experienced 14 or more mentally unhealthy days each month were unable to see a doctor due to costs—a 2% increase over previous data.
There is also a shortage in mental health provider availability. Data show there are 340 people for every one mental health provider. More than 122 million people live in a mental health workforce shortage area, with only 27% of the mental health care needs in shortage areas being met.
“It is critical that we increase the affordability and availability of mental health care so people experiencing behavioral health conditions can access the care they want,” said Maddy Reinert, senior director of population health at MHA, in a statement. “But that won’t fully address why people are experiencing distress in the first place. To reduce the negative impact of the mental health crisis, states must invest in a public health approach focused on prevention of mental distress and promotion of well-being.”
In releasing the report, MHA said it aims to: inform policy and program planning, analysis, and evaluation; track changes in the prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care; and increase dialogue with and improve outcomes for individuals and families with mental health needs.