Florida
Mental Health
Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is more than just happiness. It reflects how we think and feel, manage stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Mental health is essential for human thriving and has rightfully received much more attention in recent years.
Summary of Results.
Florida's progress in this area has been negative. In Florida, depression, fatal overdoses, and suicide are worsening.
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DepressionSpecific Measure
Percentage of adults over age 18 who reported experiencing a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the past year
(Source: Authors' analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data).State RankState vs. US trend9Why did we include this measure?
We chose this measure because depression is a common debilitating mental illness. It can also affect physical health and contribute to the risk of addiction.
How does Florida compare to the rest of the country?
Florida's trend in depression has been worsening more than the US. Compared to other states, Florida has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Florida's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Florida ranked 9 (out of 51). In the same year, Hawaii ranked first, and West Virginia ranked last.
Additional Information.
These patterns may reflect increased national reporting of depression and increased public awareness of mental health, but there is general consensus that people nationally are more depressed than they used to be. The next two measures (suicides and fatal overdoses), which are based on actual behavior rather than self-reports, also suggest a national decline in mental health. We consider other explanations of this decline below and discuss common patterns we see with our other mental health measures.Florida State Trend Worsening
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Fatal OverdosesSpecific Measure
Deaths per 100,000 population from drug overdoses, age-adjusted
(Source: Authors' analysis of Centers for Disease Control data).State RankState vs. US trend24Why did we include this measure?
Fatal overdoses are a concern not only because of the direct loss of life but also because the use of powerful drugs reflects a broader problem with addiction. Most people who use these drugs do not die from them but do get addicted and this can physically change how their brains and bodies work in ways that make it difficult to stop using them. The fact that so many are using such high-risk drugs reflects a broader mental health crisis. The most common drugs leading to overdose are opioids (including fentanyl, oxycodone, and heroin), stimulants (including cocaine and methamphetamines, commonly called "meth"), and sedatives (including Xanax and Valium). We focus on fatal overdoses because these reflect more extreme drug use and because they are measured more accurately than nonfatal overdoses. (When overdoses are judged to be intentional, they are also counted as suicides, which we discuss separately below.)
How does Florida compare to the rest of the country?
Although Florida's trend in fatal overdoses has been worsening more than the US, it increased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Florida's comparison to the US as neutral or stable. In the most recent year, Florida ranked 24 (out of 51). In the same year, Nebraska ranked first, and West Virginia ranked last.
Additional Information.
The primary cause of the national rise in fatal overdoses appears to be increased supply and use of powerful drugs. This is partially driven by the increased availability of drugs and drug combinations that produce stronger effects and pose greater risks. Drugs like fentanyl are becoming more accessible and are far more potent than heroin and morphine, for example. The illicit production of such drugs also means that users often do not know what they are consuming. Illicit drugs are often mixed with cheaper and more dangerous drugs that users are not aware of. The rise in overdoses may also be related to the national declining mental health shown in other measures in this section.Florida State Trend Worsening
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Suicide RateSpecific Measure
Suicide rate per 100,000 population, age-adjusted
(Source: Authors' analysis of Centers for Disease Control data).State RankState vs. US trend16Why did we include this measure?
Suicide is arguably the most extreme indicator of mental illness. Suicide is also consistently and accurately measured over time.
How does Florida compare to the rest of the country?
Florida's trend in suicide has been worsening less than the US. Compared to other states, Florida has also increased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Florida's comparison to the US as positive. In the most recent year, Florida ranked 16 (out of 51). In the same year, Washington DC ranked first, and Alaska ranked last.
Additional Information.
The high US suicide rate can be explained in part by the broad availability of guns, which are, by far, the most common means of suicide. Our suicide rate is also likely rising over time because of a decline in mental health and a rise in isolation and distress reflected in the other measures. The causes of mental illness are many and complex, but some potential reasons include social media, social isolation, economic disparity, and increased access to addictive substances and behaviors.Florida State Trend Worsening
How to Read This Report:
We report each measure three different ways: State Rank, State Trend, State vs. US Trend. Each result is color coded as either red (negative/worsening), yellow (neutral/stable), or green (positive/improving), as indicated below. If the simple trends were erratic, had too few data points, or had no data points, we do not color code and label the trend as “mixed,” "unclear," or "NA," respectively.
State Rank
(Where are we now?)
State Trend
(Where are we going?)
State vs. US Trend
(How do we compare?)
Top third of states
(i.e., ranks 1-17)
Improving
Trendline is improving by >5% and most points are improving relative to the first data point.
Improving
Trendline is improving relative to the national trend and rank is improving by 2+ rank spots.
Middle third of states
(i.e., ranks 18-34)
Neutral/Stable
Doesn't fall into improving, worsening, mixed, unclear, or NA categories.
Neutral/Stable
Trendline is improving/worsening the same amount as the national trend or rank is changing by <2 spots.
Bottom third of states
(i.e., ranks 35-51)
Worsening
Trendline is worsening by >5% and most points are worsening relative to the first data point.
Worsening
Trendline is worsening relative to national trend and rank is declining by 2+ rank spots
Mixed
Large shares of points are improving and worsening by >5% in different parts of the trend.
Mixed
This label only applies when a measure has more than 1 trendline. One trendline is improving and another is worsening.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a trend.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a comparison.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
For more information on our definitions and methods, please see the Data Notes section.
