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CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio ranked 12th among U.S. states and the District of Columbia across common measures of mental health in the most recent State of Mental Health in America 2025 report. The report, produced by the nonprofit Mental Health America, looked at the latest national data on depression, suicidal thoughts and substance use disorder among Americans to provide state rankings. Mental Health America works to promote good mental health, well-being, and prevention. States with a lower prevalence of mental health issues among their adult and youth residents were ranked high, while states with more behavioral health issues among their residents ranked low in the State of Mental Health report. The top state for mental health was New York, followed by Hawaii (2), New Jersey (3), Vermont (4), and Iowa (5) the report said. States ranking the worst for mental health included Idaho (48), Alabama (49), Arizona (50) and Nevada (51). The 17 measures that were combined to make up the overall ranking included the number of adults who, in the past year, had mental illness, substance use disorder or suicidal thoughts in 2022-2023. The number of mentally ill adults who were uninsured also factored into the ranking, the organization said. The number of youth who had at least one major depressive episode, substance use disorder or had suicidal thoughts, also factored into the rankings. “This report gives us a foundation to build better strategies, advocate for smarter policies, and target resources where they are needed most to address the ongoing mental health crisis in this country,” said Mary Giliberti, interim president and CEO of Mental Health America. “By using these facts to fuel action, we can best support the individuals and communities the data represent, moving from awareness to lasting change.” For more than a decade, the State of Mental Health in America report has provided meaningful data to inform public health strategies. According to this year’s report, people in the South and states with more rural populations continue to face the greatest gaps in access to mental health care, the nonprofit said. For instance, nearly 20% of adults with any mental illness in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas were uninsured in 2022 and 2023, compared to only 4% in Vermont, Maryland and Rhode Island. When looking at Ohio and its contiguous states, Pennsylvania had the most positive behavioral health outcomes (7), followed by Michigan (13), Indiana (14), Kentucky (25) and West Virginia (46). The State of Mental Health in America report also measured how well states help youth with behavioral health issues. The data included in the youth rankings included the number of youth who had at least one major depressive episode, substance use disorder or suicidal thoughts. Youth who were depressed but did not receive mental health services also figured into the rankings. In the report’s youth rankings, Ohio ranked 15th among U.S. states with the most positive mental health outcomes for youth. When looking at Ohio and its contiguous states for youth mental health, Pennsylvania had the best mental health (6), followed by Indiana (17), Michigan (20), West Virginia (33) and Kentucky (36). The national mental health report used publicly available data from 2022-2023 for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to Mental Health America.
