Nearly 1 in 4 Ohioans has mental health issues, report finds

A new national report found that nearly 25% of Ohio adults are experiencing mental health issues (Source: “Mental health issues affect nearly 25% of Ohio adults,” Axios Columbus, Nov. 9).

According to nonprofit Mental Health America’s annual mental health rankings, Ohio slid from 11th to 25th in the nation, meaning the situation dramatically worsened year-over-year. In fact, Ohio had the third-worst decline in mental health rankings in the nation. The report measures the prevalence of issues as well as access to health care.

"We should be concerned that Ohio had one of the largest negative changes in overall ranking from year-to-year," Mental Health America of Ohio executive director Kenton Beachy said in a statement. "... we need to do much better in getting mental health services to youth with depressive disorder and reaching adults with serious thoughts of suicide.”