Texas is the lowest-ranked state for mental healthcare, while Vermont is at the top, according to a Forbes Advisor ranking.
The states ranking the lowest for mental healthcare are disproportionately Southern, including seven of the 10 worst. Seven of the 10 best states for mental healthcare are in the East.
Texas has the highest percentage of adults with any mental illness who are uninsured, the highest percentage of adults with a cognitive disability who could not afford to see a doctor, and the highest percentage of youth who had an untreated major depressive episode in the past year. The state also has the fourth highest percentage of children with private health insurance that does not cover mental or emotional problems.
Exacerbating those trends, Texas has the fifth-fewest mental health treatment centers of any state, per capita.
The report used info from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to assess the state of mental health in the U.S. The data was collected through 2020, making it the most recent available. The report ranked states according to seven metrics including the number of adults and children diagnosed with a mental illness, the number of those who did not receive treatment and those who are uninsured for mental health.
The 10 worst states for mental healthcare, according to Forbes Advisor:
1. Texas
2. Mississippi
3. Alabama
4. Georgia
5. Florida
6. South Carolina
7. Arizona
8. Wyoming
9. Tennessee
10. Idaho