NOTEWORTY
Massachusetts Tops Overall Ranking of States ’ Mental Health By Mental Health America ; Nevada Places Last
Most of the findings in the Mental Health America 2022 report about the mental health of the 51 states and the District of Columbia reflect data collected up to 2019 . In addition to listing states that had the largest changes in their overall ranking over the past year , the report also includes rankings by the following five measures :
• Overall ( Massachusetts has the best ranking ; Nevade the worst )
• Adults ( New Jersey has the best ranking ; Colorado the worst ),
• Youth ( Pennsylvania has the best ranking ; Nevada the worst ),
• Prevalence of mental illness ( New Jersey has the best ranking ; Oregon the worst ), and
• Access to care ( Vermont has the best ranking ; Texas the worst ).
Compelling Statistics
The report highlights some of the data it drew on for the rankings .
Two examples :
• “ The percentage of adults with a mental illness who report unmet need for treatment has increased every year since 2011 .” Even before the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the nation ’ s mental health , the statistic MHS cites is alarming : “ In 2019 , 24.7 percent of adults with a mental illness report an unmet need for treatment .”
• “ Over 60 percent of youth with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment . Even in states with the greatest access , nearly one in three are going without treatment . In Texas , the bottom-ranked state for this indicator , nearly three-quarters of youth with depression did not receive mental health treatment .”
Largest Changes in One Year
The MHA report highlights three states that improved and two that fell in the rankings , with summaries of what happened to cause the improvement or decline .
Below are these five states , with their rank among the 51 states ( including the District of Columbia ) last year followed by their rank this year .
Improved the most :
• Oklahoma ( 45 to 33 )
• South Carolina ( 43 to 30 )
• Wisconsin ( 19 to 7 )
Fell the furthest :
• Ohio ( 11 to 25 )
• Texas ( 27 to 44 )
Spotlight 2022
The two policy priorities the report spotlights are “ Suicidal Ideation and 988 Implementation ,” and “ Disparities in Mental Health Treatment for Youth of Color .”
The section on suicide prevention and access to crisis care discusses “ the need for states to pass legislation to support a continuum of crisis services .” One aspect of the legislation is implementation of 988 “ as the national three-digit suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline .”
MHA ’ s report notes that “ with the passage of the new 988 number for suicide prevention and mental health crises , there is an opportunity to create a
continuum of crisis care with adequate funding that ensures mental health responses to mental health crises and prioritizes equity , particularly for BIPOC individuals .”
The spotlight on disparities in mental health treatment examines disparities in the kinds of care that youth with depression are able to receive — and where they receive it . “ Students of color disproportionally access their mental health care at school , often because they don ’ t have access to specialty mental health services .”
“ Increasing access to school-based mental health services can promote equity and reduce disparities in access to care ,” the MHA report summary says .
The report , “ 2022 : The State of Mental Health in America ,” is available online at https :// mhanational . org / issues / statemental-health-america .
The 7Advocate The Advocate Magazine Magazine Summer Summer 2021 2021 American American Mental Health Mental Counselors Health Counselors Association Association ( AMHCA )( AMHCA www ). amhca www . org . amhca 77 . org