Utah, we have a problem. The state of our mental health is poor — and we need to talk about it.
According to a study in August from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, the state ranks dead last when it comes to mental health — worse than all other states and the District of Columbia.
The report cites these statistics:
• Nearly one in five Utah adults suffer from poor mental health, including more than 100,000 who have serious mental illness.
• Suicide is the leading cause of death of Utahns age 10 to 24.
• Nearly 40 percent of Utah youth (age 12-17) with depression are untreated.
• There is a shortage of mental health providers in every county, and we have fewer of them per 100,000 residents than the national average.
This points to an even broader public health issue in Utah. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no health without mental health. In fact, WHO defines “health” as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease. In other words, the body and mind are connected and we cannot think of ourselves as “healthy” as long as we suffer from mental illness of any kind.
So, if you don’t have cancer, heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure or another chronic illness, you might think you’re healthy. But under the WHO’s definition, you’re not healthy if you have depression, anxiety, substance use disorder or some other behavioral health issue. Mental health is health. There is no health without mental health, but that’s not commonly understood.
We need to change our thinking. It’s time for us to look at human health holistically and it’s time to bring mental health out of the shadows where it has resided far too long. When was the last time you said to a friend, “I’ve been feeling really sad and down lately and I don’t know what to do about it”? Or, “My son became hooked on painkillers ever since he injured his knee playing soccer.” These are not things we tend to say to one another, although we’re often willing to talk about our physical health.
There’s still a huge stigma associated with mental health. We often view mental health as a weakness or something to be ashamed of. We tend to blame people if they suffer from substance-use disorders.
But if there is “no health without mental health,” then mental health is something we have to start talking about with each other and with our doctors — especially with our doctors.
When was the last time you talked to your doctor about how you’re feeling mentally and emotionally? Probably never, if you’re like most people, and that needs to change.
The next time you’re talking to your primary care doctor about your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and any physical symptoms you might be feeling, be sure to bring up how you’re feeling overall. If your doctor doesn’t bring it up first then be sure you do.
If we’re ever going to solve Utah’s (mental) health problem, we have to be willing to talk about it.
John Roble is president of Cigna’s Mountain States region, which includes Utah, Col-orado, New Mexico and Wyoming.