Mental Health America (MHA) is the nation’s leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention. Our work is informed, designed, and led by the lived experience of those most affected. Mental Health America advances the mental health and well-being of all people living in the U.S. through public education, research, advocacy and public policy, and direct service. We envision a world in which all people and communities have equitable opportunity for mental well-being and are enabled to flourish and live with purpose and meaning.
Our report is a collection of data across all 50 states and the District of Columbia and seeks to answer the following questions:
- How many adults and youth have mental health issues?
- How many adults and youth have substance use issues?
- How many adults and youth have access to insurance?
- How many adults and youth have access to adequate insurance?
- How many adults and youth have access to mental health care?
- Which states have higher barriers to accessing mental health care?
Our goal:
- To provide a snapshot of mental health status among youth and adults for policy and program planning, analysis, and evaluation;
- To track changes in the prevalence of mental health issues and access to mental health care;
- To understand how changes in national data reflect the impact of legislation and policies; and
- To increase dialogue with and improve outcomes for individuals and families with mental health needs.
Why gather this information?
- Using national survey data allows us to measure a community’s mental health needs, access to care, and outcomes regardless of the differences between the states and their varied mental health policies.
- Rankings explore which states are more effective at addressing issues related to mental health and substance use.
- Analysis may reveal similarities and differences among states, allowing for assessment of how federal and state mental health policies result in more or less access to care.
Ranking Overview and Guidelines
This report presents a collection of data that provides a baseline for answering some questions about how many people in America need and have access to mental health services. This report is a companion to the online interactive data on the MHA website (www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america). The data and tables include state and national data.
MHA Guidelines
Given the variability of data, MHA developed guidelines to identify mental health measures that are most appropriate for inclusion in our ranking. Chosen indicators met the following guidelines:
Data that are publicly available and as current as possible to provide up-to-date results.
- Data that are available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Data for both adults and youth.
- Data that captures information regardless of varying utilization of the private and public mental health system.
- Data that could be collected annually over time to allow for analysis of future changes and trends.
Our 2024 Measures
- Adults with Any Mental Illness (AMI)
- Adults with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
- Adults with Serious Thoughts of Suicide
- Youth with at Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year
- Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
- Youth with Serious Thoughts of Suicide
- Youth Flourishing
- Adults with SUD Who Needed but Did Not Receive Treatment
- Adults with AMI Who Are Uninsured
- Adults Reporting 14+ Mentally Unhealthy Days a Month Who Could Not See a Doctor Due to Costs
- Adults with AMI with Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems
- Youth with MDE Who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services
- Youth with Private Insurance That Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems
- Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program
- Mental Health Workforce Availability
Data is also presented for Youth with MDE Who Reported Treatment or Counseling Helped Them, but this indicator was not included in the rankings because data for South Carolina and South Dakota was suppressed in 2021-2022.
A Complete Picture
While the above 15 measures are not a complete picture of the mental health system, they do provide a strong foundation for understanding the prevalence of mental health concerns, as well as issues of access to insurance and treatment, particularly as that access varies among the states. MHA will continue to explore new measures that allow us to capture more accurately and comprehensively the needs of those with mental illness and their access to care.