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It’s no secret that the events of 2020 dredged up a slew of uncomfortable feelings like fear, sadness, anxiety, and stress for many Americans. It’s fair to say that collectively, America’s mental health has been drained from battling the deadly COVID-19 virus. Compounding things, increased isolation has prevented us from finding outlets to speak about mental health issues and seek professional help.
This month, mental health website CertaPet released a new study on the Best and Worst Cities for Mental Health in the United States. To determine the results, the study looked at seven factors. And the winners? New York, NY, San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR ranked #1 as the best cities for access to mental health care.
They measured access to mental health care purely by the number of providers available to each city’s residents.
Surprisingly, they saw a three-way tie between New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR. Each metro boasts a provider for just 110 residents. In fact, every city in the top 10 has one provider for 200 or less residents. For some perspective, Birmingham, AL has just one provider per 1,200 residents. This geographic disparity in access to mental health care puts unequal pressure on those with mental illnesses who call states like Alabama home.
The study also broke down the top cities with the best and worst mental health, and the cost of prescriptions.
You can see the full study, here.
