The number of people who are taking prescription mental health medications in Utah has gone up 8% since January 2021, according to a new report.
The news: A new report from Quote Wizard by Lending Tree found that the pandemic fueled the rise in mental health prescriptions nationwide.
- Overall, 28 states saw a 10% to 50% increase in the number of people taking mental health medications in 2021.
The most: Arkansas, New Mexico and New York had the largest increase in people taking mental health medications.
The least: Montana, Nevada and Hawaii saw the biggest drop in people taking these medications.
Utah numbers: Utah saw an 8% increase in people taking prescription mental health medication for the last year.
- In general, about 27% of Utah’s population is taking these medications.
The method: Quote Wizard by Lending Tree discovered these findings by analyzing the Pulse Survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data for that report runs from January 2021 to Oct. 15, 2021.
Don’t forget: Utah is home to one of the best cities for mental health, though. Salt Lake City ranked as the second-best city in the country for mental health, as I reported for the Deseret News.
- Salt Lake City trailed only Denver, Colorado, among the best cities for community well-being, number of residents with mental health providers and total prescription charges, among other rankings.