Hoosier State Today

Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) announced that 32.9% of adults in Indiana experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and mood or personality disorders. This announcement was made in a report on their website.

According to the report, substance use and suicide rates have risen sharply in Indiana. The state's drug overdose death rate increased from 15.3 to 43 per 100,000 between 2011 and 2021, driven largely by opioids, which accounted for 78% of overdose deaths in 2021. Suicide remains a pressing concern, particularly among youth, with firearm-related deaths also notable as Indiana’s firearm suicide rate (9.9 per 100,000) exceeds the national average. Despite efforts to expand care, Indiana faces ongoing mental health workforce shortages, with only 31.1% of need met. Barriers such as provider access, out-of-network costs, and lagging Medicaid service utilization continue to limit timely treatment for both adults and children.

As per Courier and Press, Indiana faces a severe shortage of psychiatric beds, offering only 11.9 beds per 100,000 people—far below the recommended 50 per 100,000—leaving thousands of residents without access to timely inpatient care. This gap forces individuals in crisis into overcrowded emergency rooms, jails, or onto the streets, exacerbating their conditions and placing additional strain on public systems. Former Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch said that "Expanding the number of behavioral health beds should be a top statewide priority," especially as untreated mental illness costs Indiana an estimated $4.2 billion in lost productivity and public service burdens.

According to its website, KFF is a national nonprofit and nonpartisan public charity that conducts in-depth health policy research, polling, and journalism to inform the public and policymakers. Headquartered in San Francisco with a Washington D.C., office KFF operates independently and is widely recognized as a trusted source for health policy insights.