Here's How Kansas Is Slowly Emerging From Mental Health Wasteland

Granted . . . This report we're sharing is a bit slanted toward demanding more taxpayer cash.

BUT . . . 

Read closely and it seems that FIGHTING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES is an important part of progress and that doesn't cost much at all.

Here's relevant data on the road beyond the worst-in-nation ranking . . .  

In 2023, the national nonprofit Mental Health America ranked Kansas 51st – last in the country – for both mental health care and access to services. For 2024, Kansas jumped to 22nd. 

Per the study, about 24% of roughly 2.9 million Kansas adults reported having a mental illness last year. Around 116,000 people indicated having serious suicidal thoughts. Among people 18 and younger, about 50,000 of them said they had had a major depressive episode, while about 22,000 reported having a substance use disorder. About 32,000 young people reported having serious suicidal thoughts, which has climbed from an estimated 30,000 kids the year prior. The report states nearly 3 million children did not receive treatment for their mental health needs in 2024 nationally . . . One way to curb that trend is by spreading accurate mental health information through more rural communities and civic groups to dispel stigmas and promote seeking help. To spur on that initiative, Kansas administrators with the alliance created the Standing in the Gap series of information sessions in 2023, with the goal of learning more about rural and frontier mental health needs through personal stories.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Why Kansas is no longer last for mental health

Here's how Kansas has moved up after being labeled worst in the nation for mental health care and access to services in 2023.