depressed Indiana

There is a decent article by Shari Rudavsky of the Indianapolis Star on the state of the state's mental health, specifically the levels of depression. Rudavsky points to this study, which analyzes depression among the states.

"Ranking the States: An Analysis of Depression Across the States" was researched and written by Mental Health America and Thomson Healthcare. It looks at data from 2002-2006 and was conducted from July to November 2007. The report compares depression levels and suicide rates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and uses the information to highlight solutions to improve states' mental health status.

Mental Health America has two goals for the report: (1) spur the development of a public health surveillance system to monitor the mental health of Americans and the specific impact of depression, and (2) to stimulate action by communities, public health professionals, federal and state policy makers, and others to address depression in their populations.

The top five least depressed states are South Dakota, Hawaii, New Jersey, Iowa, and Maryland. The five most depressed states are Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and Nevada. Indiana rates at #39.