MHA Releases 2024 State of Mental Health in America Report

Mental Health America has released its 10th annual State of Mental Health in America report, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia according to 15 mental health access and prevalence measures. The report provides a snapshot of mental health among youth and adults and tracks changes in the prevalence of mental health conditions.

The U.S continues to be in a mental health crisis, MHA said in a statement accompanying the release. The need for care is urgent, but persistent barriers to access prevent many Americans from obtaining treatment. With this report, MHA aims to increase dialogue with, and improve outcomes for, individuals and families with mental health needs.

Key findings in 2024 included:

• In 2021-2022, 23% of adults experienced a mental illness in the past year, equivalent to nearly 60 million Americans.
• More than 5% of the U.S. adult population (12.8 million people) reported experiencing serious thoughts of suicide. After slight decreases in suicide deaths in 2019 and 2020, the number of individuals who died by suicide in 2022 was the highest number ever recorded in the U.S.
• 13% of youth ages 12-17 reported experiencing serious thoughts of suicide. The percentage of youth reporting suicidal ideation was highest among youth who identified as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (25%) and more than one race (20%).
• 1 in 5 youth had at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. Over half of them – nearly 3 million youth - did not receive treatment. Of those who did receive treatment, only 65% said it helped them.
• The vast majority of individuals with a substance use disorder in the U.S. are not receiving treatment. 18% of adults in the U.S. had a substance use disorder in the past year. Of them, 77% did not receive treatment.
• 9% of youth in the U.S. had a substance use disorder in the past year. Youth were more likely to struggle with drugs than alcohol - 3% had an alcohol use disorder in the past year, while 7% had a drug use disorder.
• 60.5% of youth in the U.S. are flourishing, which is associated with school engagement and other positive outcomes for youth. The percentage of youth who were flourishing was highest in Georgia, Illinois, and Hawaii.
• Cost is still a significant barrier to accessing mental health care. 1 in 4 adults with frequent mental distress could not see a doctor due to cost, a 2% increase over the last report.
• 10% of adults with a mental illness are uninsured. In 2022, 64% of adults who were uninsured said that they did not have health insurance because they could not afford it.
• Millions of adults and youth in the U.S. still lack parity in insurance coverage of mental health and substance use services. 10% of adults and 8.5% of youth still have private insurance that does not cover mental health.
• Only 0.67% of students are identified as having an emotional disturbance (ED) for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). While there was an increase in mental distress among students from 2019-2021, the percentage of students identified with emotional disturbance for an IEP decreased in all states except for Wyoming, Texas, and South Dakota.
• There are 340 people for every 1 mental health provider in the U.S. However, these figures may be an overestimate of active mental health professionals, as it may include providers who are no longer practicing or accepting new patients