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United States Value:
Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
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Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
US Value: 19.4%
Top State(s): Hawaii: 14.9%
Bottom State(s): Arkansas: 27.8%
Definition: Percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported their mental health was not good 14 or more days in the past 30 days
Data Source and Years: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2019-2020
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
A healthy mental state is essential to overall positive health and well-being. Frequent mental distress aims to capture the population experiencing persistent, and likely severe, mental health issues, defined by 14 or more days of poor mental health a month. A strong relationship exists between the 14-day period and clinically diagnosed mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Populations suffering from severe mental illness and frequent mental distress have a higher prevalence of risky health behaviors, including smoking, alcohol use, unhealthy diet and lack of free-time physical activity. These health behaviors are known to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Certain factors that cause stress, such as housing insecurity, food insecurity and insufficient sleep, are also related to frequent mental distress. In some cases, poor mental health can lead to suicide, the second-leading cause of death among females ages 10-24 and the third-leading and fourth-leading cause of death among those ages 25-34 and ages 35-44, respectively.
Poor mental health can lead to costly treatments or missed economic opportunities. In 2009 the direct costs of mental health disorders among women were nearly $85 billion, with over $20 billion spent on depression-related care. Among pregnant women and their children, untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders cost the United States roughly $14 billion.
The prevalence of frequent mental distress is higher among:
Although occasional short periods of mental distress and a few poor mental health days may be unavoidable, more prolonged and serious episodes are treatable and potentially preventable through early intervention. Universal preventive interventions to promote social and emotional skills may be effective in reducing anxiety and depression. Mental health parity laws that improve insurance coverage for mental health are associated with better mental health care access, lower out-of-pocket costs, reduced prevalence of poor mental health and lower suicide rates. Collaborative care models, which join primary care providers and mental health specialists, are also effective in managing depressive disorders. Continued monitoring of frequent mental distress trends may help identify unmet social and mental health needs and inform future interventions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a resources page for mental health, including a mental health services locator.
Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to mental health, including:
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