Indianapolis is the state capital and most-populous city in Indiana, and the seat of Marion County. 18.9% of the 977,642 residents live in poverty. Of 92 counties in the state, Marion County is ranked 80th for health outcomes like quality of life and life expectancy, and 75th for health factors like health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. Marion County residents report 4.9 poor mental health days every month, which is 0.8 more than the national average and 0.2 more than the state average.
Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services reported that 14% of emergency calls related to mental illness came from an area of eight square miles where poverty is concentrated. In 2015, more than 32% of Marion County’s homeless were diagnosed with severe mental illness. Approximately 30% of inmates in the Marion County Jail are classified as mentally ill.
In 2021, according to 15 adult and youth measures of mental illness prevalence and access to care, Mental Health America ranked Indiana 33rd in the country. When looking at age groupings alone, Indiana ranked 39th for adults and 28th for youth. In terms of access to care for both adults and youth without taking into account the prevalence, Indiana ranked 26th.
1,129,000 or 22.51% of adults in Indiana were experiencing a mental illness, a ranking of 48, among the highest in the nation. 84,000 or 15.71% of Indiana youth ages 12-17 have suffered from at least one episode of depression in the past year, ranking 45. 66,000 or 12.7% of youth are coping with severe major depression, a ranking of 46. Indiana ranks much lower for substance use disorders (alcohol and illicit drugs) than it does for mental illness. 371,000 or 7.39% of adults have a substance use disorder, a ranking of 18. 18,000 or 3.37% of youth have a substance use disorder, a ranking of 6.
Indiana ranks 43rd in the nation for mental health workforce availability with a ratio of mental health providers to residents of 620:1. 653,000 or 55.9% of adults in Indiana with mental illness received no treatment. 281,000 or 23.9% of adults with mental illness sought treatment but still didn’t receive the needed services. 134,000 or 11.4% of those with mental illness are uninsured. 157,334 or 27.1% of adults with a cognitive disability could not see a doctor due to costs.
48,000 or 53% of Indiana youth with major depression did not receive mental health treatment in the past year. 16,000 or 26.1% of youth with severe depression received consistent treatment, defined as a specialty outpatient mental health service, including a day treatment facility, mental health clinic, private therapist, or in-home therapist, more than 7 times in the previous year. 22,000 or 7.1% of children in Indiana had private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems.
Sources
- Indianapolis. Wikipedia. [Accessed September 2021]
- Indiana. County Health Rankings & Roadmap. [Accessed September 2021]
- Indiana: Compare Counties. County Health Rankings & Roadmap. [Accessed September 2021]
- Mental Illness. Unite Indy. [Accessed September 2021]
- The State of Mental Health in America 2021. Mental Health America. [Accessed September 2021]
