Skip to content

Friday, Feb. 10, 2023

Does Nevada have a demonstrated need for expanded mental health services?


yes

Nevada ranked last among U.S. states for mental health care, according to a report by Mental Health America that looked at each state's prevalence of mental illness and degree of access to care.

The data was gathered through 2019 and does not reflect the effects of the pandemic on Americans’ mental health.

The COVID-era American Rescue Plan provided $45 million for Nevada’s mental health services.

According to the Crisis Text Line, of the approximately 16,000 Nevadans accessing their services, 78% are female, 48% are LGBTQ+ and 34% are aged 14-17.

Mental health services in the U.S. need improvement in general. In 2019, 20% of adults experienced a mental illness, yet more than half of adults with mental illness and more than 60% of youth with major depression did not receive treatment. 

See a full discussion of this at The Nevada Independent

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.