25 States that have the Highest Rates of Depression in America
In this article we are going to list the 25 states that have the highest rates of depression in America. Click to skip ahead and jump to the 10 states that have the highest rates of depression in America.
Depression is one of the most important and significant diseases currently in the world. You do not have to be genetically predisposed towards depression to get it. It may not have any outward signs of affecting you, which is why millions of people across the world who suffer from depression do not even know that they have it, and hence, do not take steps to cure it, which can sadly end up being fatal.
Reading about statistics pertaining to depression at a global level can be incredibly grim. According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world, and an estimated 264 million people suffer from it across the world. That is over a quarter of a billion people! Depression is significantly different from just feeling sad or down; it can lead to social issues as well as poor performance in office, and even at home. In extreme cases, depression can lead to the person committing suicide. When you have depression you don't just feel a bit down for a few hours. Instead, you can have a depressed mood, loss of energy and little no interest or enjoyment in anything, which in turn lasts for at least a period of two weeks. Now here's the kicker; while there are effective treatments for depression, many people, in fact the vast majority, does not receive this treatment. According to the WHO, around 75% to 85% of those afflicted with depression do not receive any treatment of it at all, underscoring how little importance is given to mental health even in this day and age.
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While you don't need a reason to develop depression, it is more common for those who have been through traumatic events, including tough childhoods and any sort of abuse, or tough situations even in adulthood such as the loss of a loved one or long unemployment and an inability to meet basic needs and fulfil any desires. However, it is again important to note that this does not mean that you can only develop depression if you've suffered in life. Even a millionaire with a loving family and adoring fans can be depressed, and be unable to help the fact. Depression is also often misdiagnosed, and this is common in all countries, both developed and undeveloped, with people who don't have depression often being given antidepressants while those who do have depression are not prescribed the proper treatment. Across the world, people suffer from depression, be it in highly developed countries or completely undeveloped countries. In the latter, there is even a huge stigma regarding mental illnesses and having to seek therapy for their wellbeing. This is seen as a sign of being mentally weak, which in turn indicates the lack of education and awareness of a person making such a judgment. Again, just because mental illnesses don't have outwardly signs that say a broken leg does, does not mean that they don't exist. The sad thing is, people are actually more likely to be depressed in developed economies, and you can learn more about this fact by visiting the 16 countries with the highest mental illness rates in the world.
The focus on mental health and its cure, and especially for depression, is a very recent field and there are still a lot of advancements being made. In fact there has been one very recent breakthrough, where there was a study that showed that giving psilocybin, a psychedelic, to people who were depressed along with psychotherapy, resulted in incredible results in the regression of depression in the subjects. In just four weeks, half the subjects were able to achieve remission. While the sample size is very low, this is still a huge breakthrough and one which may even lead to lower regulations regarding the illegality of psychedelics, which itself has been a controversial topic for a very long time. In fact, the effect of psilocybin was actually four times greater than traditional antidepressants, was faster than the traditional methods and did not have any side effects that other treatments may have. Another psychoactive substance, ketamine, has been used as well, but psilocybin does not have the side effects that ketamine does and its effects also tend to last much longer.
In the United States, the situation regarding depression is quite bad as well. 19% of adults have experienced depression, which is an increase of 1.5 million people from the previous year. Of those suffering from depression, 24% did not receive the required treatment for their illness and among the youth, 60% do not receive any mental health treatment. And keep in mind that all these numbers are pre Covid-19.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the world but especially the US which is nearing 10 million cases and nearly 240,000 deaths. The US has the worst case toll and death toll of any country in the entire world, and many states have imposed total or partial lockdown for most of 2020. Even though these restrictions started to ease, the US is now in the worst grip of the pandemic yet, with over 100,00 cases being reported each day for the past few days. The lockdown has forced people to not be able to socialize and meet their loved ones, instead having to brave it out alone in their houses. Millions of jobs were lost as businesses were forced to shut down. Living through the stress of a pandemic which has killed over 1.2 million worldwide, unemployment and not knowing where the next meal will come from and having to brave everything without being able to meet those closest to you has opened the doors to depression for many people, and the fallout from the same is yet to be accurately ascertained. There are many tips and suggestions to make it through this time, as we're all in this together.
To determine the most depressed states, we sought out the latest report on mental health by Mental Health America, which goes into great details regarding the presence and effects of depression on both the youth and adults of USA. We have simply considered the states which have the highest rates of mental illness in percentage terms of the entire population. So without further ado, let's take a look at the states where depression is a way of life, starting with number 25:
25. Iowa
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 19.89
Iowa ranks 25th in our list of states that have the highest depression rates in America. In Iowa, excessive drinking combined with a high obesity rate has led to depression rates sky rocketing and immediate actions needs to be taken to ensure the state does not start rising up further in the list.
24. Montana
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20
Montana has several depression treatment centers, signifying its acceptance on the importance of treating depression, yet more needs to be done in a state where a fifth of the population is depressed.
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23. Delaware
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20.03
Drug deaths in Delaware increased by 61% in just the last three years, and a high drug usage is just one of the reasons why the state is struggling with depression, with obesity being another major factor.
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22. Arkansas
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20.27
Arkansas ranks 22nd in our list of state with the highest depression rates. In Arkansas, people long believed that the main issue is a lack of treatment available for depression in rural areas, which has made this an uphill fight for the state. However, a study showed that this was not the case and there was little difference in treatment provided in urban and rural areas.
Copyright: benkrut / 123RF Stock Photo
21. Wyoming
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20.34
While more than a fifth of residents in Wyoming suffer from depression, new data shows that numbers are especially high for women before, during and even after their pregnancy, showcasing a specific area which needs to be focused on.
Pixabay/Public Domain
20. Oklahoma
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20.43
Oklahoma ranks 20th in our list of states with the highest rates of depression in the United States. In just the last few years, the rate of depression in Oklahoma has increased by 23%, which either means that depression is increasing significantly or more people are being diagnosed through methods not in use earlier on.
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19. Alaska
Percentage of population suffering from depression: 20.5
Winters in Alaska are extremely tough, as it gets dark quite early and is often too cold to go out anywhere, which is one of the factors why depression in Alaska is so high. This is known as seasonal affective disorder.
Pixabay/Public Domain
18. New Hampshire
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 20.56
New Hampshire ranks 18th in our rankings for the states with highest depression rates. Frequent mental distress and high drug use in New Hampshire make for grim reading regarding depression statistics in the state.
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17. Louisiana
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 20.63
Obesity, child poverty and a high death rate from cardiovascular diseases explain why Louisiana finds itself in the top depressed states in the US.
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16. Vermont
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 20.65
Vermont is providing counseling, treatment centers and therapy to those suffering from depression, as it tries to battle its label as one of the most depressed states in the US.
Pixabay/Public Domain
15. Nevada
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 20.67
Nevada ranks 15th in our list of states that have the highest depression rates in America. You might think the state that contains Las Vegas would be the happiest one in the world, but surprisingly a lot of people in the state are victims of depression.
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14. Maine
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 20.82
Maine's health providers have found themselves feeling more depressed after Covid-19 started rampaging through the country, and it is likely this number may be much higher next year.
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13. Massachusetts
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 21.22
Massachusetts ranks 13th in our rankings of the states with the highest depression rates in the United States. Simply trying to spell the name of the state is cause for depression, but the real causes of depression in the state tend to lean towards excessive drinking, and a high death rate from dugs.
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12. Rhode Island
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 21.32
Rhode Island does not have an average population which is quite well off, and money problems seem to be a major contributor to the depression rates, in addition to a high death rate from drugs.
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11. Alabama
Percentage of population suffering from mental illness: 21.39
Alabama sees a high number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases as compared to the national average, which may explain why it also sees high depression rates as compared to the national average.
Click to continue reading and see the 10 states that have the highest rates of depression in America. Disclosure: No positions. 25 States that have the Highest Rates of Depression in America is originally published at Insider Monkey.
