Your overall well-being is influenced by your financial situation, relationships, job, sense of purpose and security, but where you live and the healthcare system in your area also play a vital role. IN analysis Online pharmacy Universal Drugstore, released last month, ranked the best and worst states to live in for mental health after evaluating dozens of data points, including the prevalence of mental illness and the cost of treatment.
Montana was ranked number one as the best place to live for mental health, with a score of 8.06 out of 10. The state had the fewest number of “mentally ill adults” who cannot afford care, and had the second most sick residents mental health. days in 2022.
In contrast, Nevada ranks as the worst state for mental health with a score of 2.06 out of 10. The Silver State ranked in the top five on several metrics, including the most mental health sick days and the most youth reporting depressive episodes. Nevada also has one of the lowest psychologist-to-resident ratios in the entire country.
Further, South Dakota, which ranked fourth best state for mental health, had the fewest reported mental health sick days (3), while West Virginia and Louisiana, ranked 34th and 44th, reported the most (6). Adults in New Jersey, which ranks 16th, have the lowest rate of mental illness diagnoses (16%), while adults living in Utah, which ranks 25th, have the highest rate of mental illness (27%). ). Oregon, ranked 50th, had the second worst mental health score with a score of 2.89 out of 10, tied with New Mexico, which ranked 42nd for the nation’s highest percentage of youth experiencing depressive episodes (19% ); the lowest is in Washington, D.C. (11%). The District of Columbia, ranked 13th, is also home to the highest proportion of psychologists, compared with Alabama, Maine, Georgia and Louisiana, which have seven per 100,000 residents.
To compile the rankings, the researchers used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Mental Health America, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. They compared the ratio of psychologists to residents in each state, the average number of mental health sick days, the prevalence of mental illness among adults and youth, the number of beds and mental health facilities available, and the cost of prescription drugs.
Worst states to live in for mental health:
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Arizona
- Washington
- Texas
- Alabama
- Louisiana
- Georgia
- New Mexico
Best states to live in for mental health:
- Montana
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
- North Dakota
- Nebraska and Iowa (tie)
- Arkansas