What do Georgia’s mental health statistics say about psychological well-being throughout the state?
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What do Georgia’s mental health statistics say about psychological well-being throughout the state?
Georgia Mental Health Statistics
When Georgia mental health statistics have been in the news lately, the news has unfortunately been less than ideal:
- On May 7, 2024, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) published an article headlined “Forbes: Only one state is worse than Georgia for mental health care.” According to the analysis discussed in the article, Texas was the lone state to score lower than Georgia.
- Mental Health America (MHA) placed Georgia 37th in its 2025 rankings. Though this is better than the result of the Forbes assessment, the MHA list still had Georgia in the bottom third.
- Both Forbes and MHA included all 50 states plus the District of Columbia in their rankings.
Of course, lists such as these are neither definitive nor completely objective. Factors such as what areas are evaluated, what information is analyzed, and how scores are calculated can lead to wildly different results from one assessment to the next.
But both Forbes and MHA took a data-based approach, and both determined that Georgia has significant room for improvement. So, what is it about Georgia mental health statistics that caused these organizations to rank the state where they did?
Let’s take a closer look at which statistics each organization used, and what those numbers can tell us about mental health (and mental health treatment) in this state.
Adult mental health statistics in Georgia
In addition to assigning overall rankings, the MHA report also assigned adult and adolescent mental health scores to each state.
The adult category included information about Georgians ages 18 and above who:
- Had any mental illness in the past year
- Had any mental illness and reported an unmet need for treatment
- Had any mental illness and were uninsured
- Had any mental illness and had private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems
- Reported 14 or more mentally unhealthy days a month, but could not see a doctor due to costs
- Had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year
- Had a substance use disorder (addiction) in the past year
- Had an addiction but did not receive treatment
Considering only these statistics, the MHA ranked Georgia 47th for adult mental health, ahead of only Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah.
The Forbes assessment didn’t give out adult- or adolescent-specific ratings for the states, though it noted that Georgia’s total score was influenced by the inability of many adults to get the care they need.
As reported in the AJC article, Forbes noted that Georgia had:
- The nation’s highest percentage of adults with mental illness who lacked access to care because of cost (34.4%)
- The fewest mental health treatment centers (10.05 per 10,000 businesses) among all states and the District of Columbia
- An adult uninsured rate of 17.4%
Adolescent mental health statistics in Georgia
To rank states on their ability to promote mental wellness among adolescents, MHA reviewed data on young people ages 6 to 17 who:
- Experienced least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year
- Had an MDE but did not receive mental health services
- Had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year
- Experienced serious thoughts of suicide in the past year
- Were covered by private insurance that did not fund care for mental or emotional problems
- Did not have a preventive doctor’s visit in the past year
- Were identified with emotional disturbance for an individualized education program (IEP)
- Were flourishing
For the final data point above, young people were determined to be flourishing if they could answer “Always” or “Usually” to the following three questions:
- How often did they show interest and curiosity in learning new things?
- How often did they work to finish tasks they start?
- How often did they stay calm and in control when faced with a challenge?
The good news is that MHA’s review of these adolescent mental health statistics in Georgia led to a more favorable result than the adult review did.
MHA ranked Georgia 13th for youth mental health. This ranking, MHA noted, reflected “lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care for youth.”
Though Forbes didn’t give out age-related ratings, they did note that about two-thirds of young people in Georgia who had depression didn’t get any care. This was the seventh-highest rate of untreated youth depression among states and the District of Columbia.
Mental health and addiction statistics in Georgia
Many people who develop mental health disorders also unfortunately struggle with addictions to alcohol and other drugs.
Addictions and mental illnesses have bidirectional influences on each other. This means that having a mental illness can raise a person’s risk of addiction, while having an addiction can also increase the likelihood that a person will develop a mental health concern.
Here’s what the 2022 edition of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NS-DUH) revealed about addiction and mental illness in Georgia:
- 1.3 million adults ages 18 and above had any substance use disorder
- 839,000 adults were addicted to alcohol
- 165,000 adults were addicted to opioids
- 298,000 adults (about 23% of those with any type of addiction) received substance abuse treatment
The simultaneous presence of an addiction and a co-occurring mental health disorder is known as dual diagnosis. When a person had dual diagnosis, it’s essential that their treatment plan addresses both disorders. Attempting to treat one condition while ignoring the other is unlikely to yield long-term success, and may end up making both problems worse.
Learn More About Mental Health Treatment in Georgia
North Atlanta Behavioral Health provides personalized outpatient treatment for adults who have been living with mental illnesses and co-occurring addictions.
Treatment options at our outpatient rehab in Atlanta, GA, include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program (OP). Our team will work closely with you to develop a truly customized plan, identifying the specific programs and services that will best prepare you for improved health.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
