Las Vegas is the most populous city in Nevada and the seat of Clark County. 8.9% of the 641,903 residents are living in poverty. Clark County ranks 6th for health outcomes like quality of life and life expectancy, and 11th for health factors like health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. Clark County residents reported 4.2 poor mental health days every month, 0.1 more than the national average and 0.2 more than the state average.
In 2021, Mental Health America ranked Nevada 51st, or last overall in the country for mental health according to 15 adult and youth measures of mental illness prevalence and access to care. Nevada ranked 42nd for adult mental health outcomes, and 51st for youth mental health outcomes. The ratio of mental health care providers to residents in Nevada was 470:1 (ranking 32nd), while the ratio in Clark County was 490:1.
474,000 or 20.67% of adults in Nevada experienced a mental illness in the past year, ranking 36th. 206,000 or 9% reported having a substance use disorder, ranking 40th. 282,000 or 60.3% of adults with mental illness did not receive treatment, ranking 44th. 122,000 or 26.1% of those with mental illness who sought treatment reported an unmet need (ranking 39th) due to barriers like cost and lack of providers or insurance. 51,000 or 10.5% of adults with mental illness were uninsured, ranking 31st. 76,372 or 25.27% of adults with a cognitive disability could not see a doctor due to costs, ranking 18th. A cognitive disability is defined as having difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a physical, mental, or emotional disability.
Among youth ages 12-17 in Nevada, 35,000 or 15.11% suffered from at least one major depressive episode in the past year, ranking 39th. 12,000 or 5.09% of youth had a substance use disorder, ranking 39th. 23,000 or 71% of youth with major depression did not receive mental health treatment, the highest rate in the nation, ranking 51st. 3,000 or 11.2% of those with severe depression did receive some consistent treatment, the lowest rate in the nation. Consistent treatment is defined as having visited a day treatment facility, mental health clinic, private therapist, or in-home therapist, more than 7 times in the year. 13,000 or 12.6% of children had private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems, ranking 45th.
Sources
- Las Vegas. Wikipedia. [Accessed September 2021]
- Nevada: 2021 State Level Data and Ranks. County Health Rankings & Roadmap. [Accessed September 2021]
- Nevada: Compare Counties. County Health Rankings & Roadmap. [Accessed September 2021]
- The State of Mental Health in America 2021. Mental Health America. [Accessed September 2021]
