If you live in Oregon, you are privileged to call one of the most beautiful states in the country home. The Beaver State is filled with natural wonders and offers just about anything and everything that one could hope to experience. While this makes Oregon unique, what it has in common with every other state is that far too many people are suffering from mental illness, and far too many of them are not getting the help they need. The state of Oregon mental health is not good right now, and it needs to improve soon.
Our team of mental health professionals at SoCal Empowered is going to continue to do our part to help the people here get the treatment they need. In many situations, help is far more available than people realize. While we are located just down the coast in Orange County and do not offer Oregon mental health treatment in the state, we have worked with a lot of people from Oregon over the years.
Below we’re going to lay out a statistical overview of Oregon mental health and provide important information for those who may be looking for treatment either for themselves or for a loved one. It all starts with a phone call or a message, so if you’re ready to take this important step now, feel free to contact us at any time.
General Oregon Mental Health Statistics
We’re going to start with state-by-state rankings on the prevalence of mental health. Mental Health America publishes these rankings regularly, and for 2023, the most recent complete year of data, Oregon ranked last in the entire United States. That means that mental illness is more prevalent in Oregon than anywhere else in the country.
The criteria used to determine these rankings include:
-
- Adults with Any Mental Illness (AMI)
- Adults with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
- Adults with Serious Thoughts of Suicide
- Youth with at Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year
- Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year
- Youth with Serious Thoughts of Suicide
- Youth (Ages 6-17) Flourishing
More specifically, Oregon ranked 50th with regards to the percentage of people who had any mental illness during the previous year at 27.33 percent, which comes to over 900,000 people. Only Utah had a higher percentage of prevalence. In addition, 226,000 Oregonians had thoughts of suicide during the previous year, which was nearly 6 percent of the adult population. Utah once again was the only state with a lower ranking.
How many people is that when we look more closely? The populations of Oregon’s three largest cities of Portland, Eugene and Salem is just under 1 million people combined. That means that 90 percent of the populations of these three largest cities was struggling with mental health during the year prior to this survey and these rankings. It also means that if everyone who suffered through suicidal ideation in Oregon lived in one community, it would instantly become the second largest city in the entire state.
Oregon Mental Health Statistics: Depression and Anxiety
Finally, Oregon State University published an insightful report that broke down the Oregon mental health problem further. With regards to anxiety and depression, 35.3 percent of adults reported experiencing symptoms of one or both of these illnesses during February of 2023. That was higher than the national average:
(Source: Oregon State University)
Even worse, potentially, was the fact that nearly one third of the people who had reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression had also experienced an unmet need for mental health counseling or therapy:
(Source: Oregon State University)
What You Should Do
If you or a loved one is suffering from a mental illness or you even think that’s possible, you need to take action. Mental illnesses are not self-curing. If these situations persist, things will only get worse most of the time. Like any other illness, you need treatment to improve.
Sadly, that is often a sticking point for people, as far too many think that they cannot afford mental health treatment. That is unfortunate, as most people with health insurance now have some type of mental health benefit included, although the specifics of those benefits obviously vary with each policy.
This is where you should start, then: Check your insurance policy to see what benefits you have available. That will at least give you a starting point and perhaps make you feel more comfortable with the idea of searching for Oregon mental health treatment. You pay for your policy, and it’s a contract, so your insurance company is obligated to provide those benefits if you meet the criteria laid out.
Of course, we all understand that the language in insurance policies can be confusing. If you find your benefits language difficult to understand, you should give our team at SoCal Empowered a call. If we feel that your situation warrants a stay with us, then we will deal with your insurance company directly to determine coverage before you make any commitments. We are in-network with some of the largest providers in the United States, and we work with many others on an out-of-network basis.
Get Away From It All
One of the best ways to maximize mental health treatment is to get away from the routine that’s beating people down in the first place. You or your loved one will likely make more progress if you’re allowed to take a “time-out” from your life and focus on your own treatment and health.
We are just a short flight away from anywhere in Oregon, yet far enough away that you will not have to worry about distractions while you stay with us. We encourage you to contact us if you need help. We’ll work with you from there to find you the solution you need.
