Like other states across the country, Ohio has experienced a rise in mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, and other health challenges over the past decade.  

The pandemic worsened this crisis, causing more Ohio adults than ever to experience frequent (14 or more) days of poor mental health. 

Good to Know: Ohio Addiction Statistics

Here are important Ohio mental health statistics to know. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Over 2.1 million Ohioans (24.92%) had a mental illness in 2023, according to a Mental Health in America (MHA) report. This is up from 23.64% in 2022. 
• More than 1.2 million Ohioans (55.6%) with mental illness didn’t receive treatment in 2023, according to the MHA. 
• According to a MHA report, more than 1.3 million adults (15.3%) in Ohio struggled with a substance abuse disorder in 2023. 
• About 538,000 Ohioans reported experiencing suicidal ideation in 2023, one of the highest numbers in the country.   
• Five Ohioans die by suicide each day, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 
• In 2023, over 20.54% of Ohio adults who reported experiencing 14 or more days of poor mental health weren’t able to see a doctor due to costs. 
• In 2023, over 160,000 (18.25%) Ohio youths reported experiencing at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. 
• In 2023, 60,000 (6.81%) Ohio teens aged 12 to 17 had substance use disorder. 

General Insights

Here are some general insights into Ohio’s mental health:

• According to the 2023 Mental Health in America report, over 2.1 million Ohioans (24.92%) had a mental illness in 2023. This is up from 23.64% in 2022. 
• From 2020 to 2023, the percentage of Ohio adults with mental illness rose by 4%. 

• In 2023, over 20.54% of Ohio adults who reported experiencing 14 or more days of poor mental health weren’t able to see a doctor due to costs.

  This included feeling stress, depression, and problems with emotions. 

• More than 1.2 million Ohioans (55.6%) with mental illness didn’t receive treatment in 2023, according to the MHA. This is a 5% increase from 2022, indicating that access to care was reduced within a year. 
• According to the 2023 Mental Health in America report, in 2023, more than 1.3 million adults (15.3%) in Ohio struggled with a substance abuse disorder, and 93.5% did not receive any form of treatment. 

• According to an MHA report, 538,000 Ohioans reported experiencing suicidal ideation in 2023, one of the highest rates in the country.  
• In 2023, more Ohio adults struggled with mental illnesses compared to substance abuse disorder. 

• Five Ohioans die by suicide each day, according to the Ohio Department of Health. 
• In 2023, about 28.3% of Ohio adults with a mental illness weren’t able to receive the treatment they needed. Most of them indicated that they either could not afford the treatment, didn’t know where to get it, thought they could handle their illness without treatment, didn’t have the time for treatment, or didn’t have health insurance that paid for it. 
• In Ohio, over 226,000 adults with mental illness were uninsured in 2023.

  Hispanic adults with any mental illness were the least likely to have health insurance, either employer-sponsored or covered by themselves. 

• In Ohio, there are 350 people for every advanced practice nurse specializing in mental health, counselor, family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, marriage therapist, psychiatrist, and psychologist. 
• From 2020 to 2023, the mental health workforce availability for Ohio adults has decreased from 470:1 to 350:1, a decline of 25.5%. 
• In 2022, 6.09% of Ohio adults had serious thoughts about suicide, the third-highest in the country and the highest increase (92%) since 2021. 
• According to the NAMI Ohio 2021 Fact Sheet, in February 2021, 43.2% of Ohio’s adult population experienced anxiety or depression symptoms, with 19% facing challenges accessing necessary therapy or counseling.
• Ohioans are more than three times as likely to encounter out-of-network challenges for mental health care than for primary health care. 

• The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that over 2.3 million Ohio residents live in communities lacking sufficient mental health professionals.
• In 2021, Ohio had 10,655 homeless individuals, with one out of five having a severe mental illness. Explore homelessness statistics in Ohio.
• Ohio recorded 1,838 suicide deaths, and 461,000 adults experienced suicidal thoughts in 2021.
• In 2019, 8.8% of Ohio adults aged 19-64 had a mental health impairment (MHI), a 31% increase from 6.1% in 2015. 
• Based on a 2019 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey, 8.8% of adults in Ohio between the ages of 19 and 64 experienced a mental health impairment (MHI) that caused them to skip regular work or daily activities for a minimum of 14 out of the past 30 days due to emotional or mental issues.
• In 2019, mental health impairments impacted 15.7% of Ohio women aged 19 to 24 and 5.7% of men aged 55 to 64.
• Among low-income adults, MHI prevalence was higher in White (19%) than African American (13.2%) or Hispanic (11.2%) Ohioans. 
• In 2019, 62.6% of adults with a mental health illness were likely to be unemployed.

  They also reported more housing insecurity and lower income, with nearly half (47.4%) reporting food shortages. 

• In 2019, almost 15% of people with MHI lacked insurance. Among the insured, Medicaid covered 55.9%.

Ohio Youth Mental Health Statistics 

Whether it’s because of the pandemic, social media, or negative online interactions, the number of youth in Ohio struggling with mental health issues like anxiety or depression has skyrocketed in the previous years.

Here are some youth mental health statistics in Ohio: 

• According to Youth Ranking 2023 by Mental Health America, the number of Ohio youths experiencing MDEs increased from 87,000 (9.9%) in 2020 to 119,000 (13.90%) in 2023.  

• In 2023, 60,000 Ohio teens aged 12 to 17 had a substance use disorder. 
• From 2020 to 2023, drug use among Ohio youth aged 12 to 17 almost doubled from 3.99% to 6.81%. 

• Around 119,000 (13.9%) teens reported experiencing severe MDEs that led to a decline in family relationships, social life, home chores, and school/work interactions in 2023, according to an MHA report. Rates of MDEs were highest (16.5%) in youth who identified as bi-racial. 
• About half (53.50%) of youth with major depression didn’t receive any mental health treatment in 2023.

  Specifically, Asian youth with MDEs were the least likely to seek specialty mental health care, with 78% reporting no services received in the prior year. This was followed by 68% of African American youth and 68% of multiracial youth.

• In 2023, only 45,000 (38.6%) teens with severe MDEs received some consistent treatment, which includes having access to a private/in-home therapist, day treatment facility, and mental health clinic around 7-25 times a year.  
• The number of youth receiving some consistent treatment increased from 32,000 in 2020 (37.1%) to 45,000 (38.6%) in 2023—higher than the national average of 28%. 

• In 2023, 14,786 (9.14%) of students were reported to have emotional disturbance (ED)—a mental illness that affects their ability to succeed in school.

  This is 2% higher than the national average. 

• The 2023 MHA report showed that youths diagnosed with ED were more often found in households living below the poverty line. Plus, compared to 5.15% of all students, around 6.73% of Black youth with disabilities and 7.25% of multiracial youth with disabilities were diagnosed with emotional disturbance.
• Based on a 2019 OMAS report, 3.6% of youths aged 5 to 11 and 4.9% of those aged 12 to 18 faced frequent mental distress (FMD).

  This prevented them from participating in school, social, or daily activities for 7-30 days.

• According to the 2018-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Asian youth were least likely to have received medication for their depression or seen a health professional, followed by African American and Hispanic youth—compared to White youths. 

• In 2018-2019, African American, Native American, Alaska Native, and multiracial youth were more likely to receive non-specialty mental health care services offered by school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, pediatricians or family doctors, foster care, or juvenile detention centers, compared to White youth. 

LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Ohio

Young LGBTQ Ohioans increasingly report mental health issues stemming from challenges related to identity acceptance, discrimination, and societal pressures. Here are important numbers:

• According to the 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 46% of LGBTQ youth in Ohio seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year. However, 14% of LGBTQ youth (including 20% of nonbinary and transgender youth) attempted suicide during the year.
• According to the Trevor Project, 77% of LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of anxiety, including 85% of nonbinary and transgender youth, while 62% experienced symptoms of depression. 
• In Ohio, 58% of LGBTQ youth needing mental health care in 2022 couldn’t access it.
• About 38% of LGBTQ youth faced physical threats or harm based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and 76% experienced discrimination for the same reasons in 2022. 
• 11% of LGBTQ youths were threatened with conversion therapy in 2022, and 6% underwent it. 
• In 2022, only 9% of LGBTQ youth, including nonbinary and transgender youth, felt fully accepted, 45% felt somewhat accepted, while 46% felt unaccepted.

County Statistics

Here are mental health statistics for Ohio counties:

Mercer County 

• In 2019, 48% of Mercer County residents reported having mental health issues like depression, according to the Mercer County, Ohio Community Health Report 2022. 
• Among survey respondents, 49.6% indicated that there wasn’t enough support for mental health issues, while 52.4% indicated they lacked substance abuse support. 
• In 2019, the rate of drug overdose in Mercer County was 2.5 people per 100,000, which was lower than Ohio state’s rate. This is significantly lower compared to 2017-2019, with drug overdose deaths at a rate of 10 deaths per 100,000 population.
• In 2018, 15% of Mercer County residents experienced 14 or more days of poor mental health monthly. 
• About 82% of Mercer County residents used drugs illicitly in 2019, and more than 68% of youths aged 12 to 21 reported using alcohol. 
• About 35% of youths in grades 8th to 12th used alcohol once or more than once in the past 30 days, while 14.9% reported smoking part or all of a cigarette during the same time. 

Appalachian Ohio

• In Appalachian Ohio, the average adult reports experiencing mental health challenges 17% more frequently than the national average and 5% more than adults in non-Appalachian Ohio, according to a 2020 report by the Appalachian Regional Commission. 
• Depression prevalence among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Appalachian Ohio stands at 18.7%, compared to 15.4% nationally and 18.0% in non-Appalachian Ohio.
• In Appalachian Ohio, the suicide rate is 26% higher than in non-Appalachian Ohio and 19% higher than the national average. 

Norwood County 

• In 2023, 35.1% of Norwood County residents experienced mental health issues like anxiety or depression, according to the Norwood Community Health Needs Assessment 2023 report. 
• In 2021, approximately 35.1% of Norwood residents felt they required treatment for mental health issues like depression and anxiety disorders. 
• From January 2019 to June 2020, 3% of emergency room and inpatient hospital visits were primarily for anxiety/stress-related and affective disorders.

Warren County

• In 2022, 15% of adults in Warren County experienced a period lasting two weeks or more where they felt consistently sad, according to the Warren County Community Health Assessment report.

  This includes 38% of adults earning less than $50,000 annually.

• In Warren County, 20% of adults reported a family member or themselves being diagnosed with or treated for a mental health issue in the past year. The reported conditions include ADD/ADHD (20%), anxiety disorder (27%), autism spectrum (8%), bipolar disorder (5%), depression (30%), developmental disability (5%), eating disorder (2%), emotional problems (16%), gambling problem (1%), life-adjustment disorder (3%), other mental health disorders (6%), other trauma (5%), psychotic disorder (1%), PTSD (7%), substance abuse (2%).
• In 2022, approximately 27% of adults reported that they or a family member had used medication to treat one or more mental health issues.
• About 7,501 (4%) of Warren County adults seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021. 
• In 2020, the mortality rate for death by suicide for Warren County was 12 compared to 15 for Ohio State. 
• From 2016 to 2020, 143 Warren County residents committed suicide.

  This includes 115 men and 28 women. 

Data Sources

1. https://www.healthpolicyohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MentalHealth_DataSnapshot_UpdatedJanuary2023.pdf
2. https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/StateFactSheets/OhioStateFactSheet.pdf
3. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=scholarship_medicine_all
4. https://www.ohioafp.org/wfmu-article/nearly-1-in-4-ohioans-has-mental-health-issues-report-finds/
5. https://www.healthpolicyohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MentalHealth_DataSnapshot_UpdatedJanuary2023.pdf
6. https://grc.osu.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/2019%20OMAS%20Mental%20Health%20Chartbook.pdf
7. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Trevor-Project-2022-National-Survey-on-LGBTQ-Youth-Mental-Health-by-State-Ohio.pdf
8. https://mchdohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Community-Health-Report-1-31-22.pdf