Utah Has A Higher Depression Rate Than The National Average: Ways To Help

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Utah is falling behind against national averages.  

A study by the Utah Public Health Indicator Based Information System (IBIS) shows that adults in Utah suffer more from life-long depression than the national statistics. In 2020, roughly 21% of the U.S. population suffered from some kind of mental illness the IBIS said.  

8.4 % of adults had a major depressive episode that year as well. Which is totally understandable with the pandemic and loss of work being a huge factor for many during that time.  

Utah adults suffered from lifetime depression at a staggering rate of 26.1% while the U.S. national average was 21.4% 

Some other statistics to keep in mind are the diagnoses between men and women. Adult women were doctor diagnosed with depression at roughly 34% while adult men were only diagnosed at 18.1% in 2022.  

Other factors that played a part were race, education, income, and location.  

So, since Utah’s mental health seems to be based on many factors, it’s hard to tell what to do. Something different will work for each person.  

Here is how you can help: 

The Mental Health Foundation provides a few tips on how you can assist someone struggling with their mental health. Though the first step may seem easy, it isn’t. You’ll need to provide a safe space for someone to open up without pushing.  

• No distractions 
• Don’t try to diagnose or second guess 
• Open ended questions 
• Self-care 
• REALLY listen  
• Offer to help finding professional care 
• Know your limits 

This all comes down to truly listening to the person and their needs. It’s also helpful to look up helplines and offer those as a third party is sometimes easier to talk to than a close friend or family member.  

All month long, social media campaigns will be going out to raise awareness for mental health. There may even be some local events in Utah to check out.