New report shows Oregon leads nation with highest rates of depression

by Kelsey Christensen and KVAL.com Staff

Mon, May 4th 2020, 10:18 PM UTC

GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 11: A mural painted on a wall is seen through rain drops on October 11, 2005 Glasgow, Scotland. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or winter depression, is a mood disorder related to the change in the seasons and the resulting reduction of exposure to daylight. The end of British Summer time, when clocks go back one hour at the end of October, will see most people making their daily commute in darkness both ways. With winter nights stretching to 19 hours in the UK, and Scotland's often inclement weather, it is estimated that the "Winter Blues" can affect up to 20% of the population. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

LANE COUNTY, Ore. — Oregon ranks as the number one state with the highest rates of depression, according to a new report which also ranks Oregon as middle of the road for access to mental health care.

Put four Oregonians in a room. It’s estimated that one of them is struggling with mental health.

A new report ranks the state as number one for the percentage of people dealing with depression.

“We analyze CDC data on depression rates in each state,” analyst Adam Johnson said.

He says they look at data over the last 5 years, in which he says depression has increased by about 9 percent.

Local family counselor Chaine Brant with PeaceHealth says this could be for a variety of reasons.

“I think that we often come back to the long, darker, dreary days,” Brant said.

Rainy weather — the main contributor.

But Washington, which has a similar climate, is ranked at 10.

Brant says Oregon is likely doing a better job of expanding the mental health conversation.

“It’s not that maybe other states aren’t having this experience, it’s that maybe we are seeing a higher rate of it because we’re talking about it more; people are more willing to go get help for it,” she said,

But she admits other factors like homelessness, lack of health insurance, and poverty likely add to the depression rate.

The report places Oregon as a middle of the road state for mental healthcare access.

A key finding is that states with high access to care have decreased rates of people experiencing depression.

Brant believes Lane County does a good job providing services but breaking down barriers for vulnerable populations to get help is key.

“If we can decrease those barriers increase the conversations and normalization around it, I think that more people would start to access them on their own,” she said.

She says we all know someone suffering from depression, especially during coronavirus restrictions, so reach out and check up on each other.

You can find the full report here: https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/states-with-highest-depression-rates

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