In 2022, 49,000 people in the United States committed suicide — an act the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 13.2 million adults considered doing that year. That’s roughly 4% of the country’s population.
As suicide rates have increased by around 36% from 2000 to 2022 — averaging one death every 11 minutes — mental health remains a significant struggle nationwide. And, according to Forbes Advisor, Georgia is one of the states struggling most in 2024.
Forbes Advisor ranked the Peach State as second worst in the country, with Texas being the worst, for mental health.
The news outlet determined Georgia had the highest percentage of adults with mental illness who lack access to care because of cost (34.4%) and the fourth fewest mental health treatment centers (10.05 per 10,000 businesses).
Around 17.4% of the state’s adults with a mental illness are uninsured. And roughly 66.6% of youths with depression did not receive care from mental health services, the seventh highest percentage in the country.
Six of the 10 worst states were in the South: Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina. Texas was ranked the worst state for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, five of the best 10 states were in the Northeast: Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Vermont ranked best in the country.
To determine which states were the worst for mental health, Forbes Advisor analyzed each area across seven metrics. The metrics included the percentages of adults with a mental illness who do not receive treatment; did not receive adequate treatment; could not see a doctor because of cost; youths with depression who do not receive mental health services; total uninsured; youths with private health insurance that does not cover mental or emotional problems; and number of mental health treatment centers per 10,000 businesses.
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