New Interactive Graphic Explores Mental Health Issues in America

SEWANEE, Tenn., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Best Psychology Degrees announces the launch of a new interactive web graphic that represents the state of mental health across the United States. "Mental Illness in America" allows users to research and compare incidences of alcohol and drug dependency, depression, mental illness and suicide by state. The infographic is a permanent feature on the Best Psychology Degrees website, which is a free hub of information about psychology degree programs and career options.

"Mental Illness in America" depicts a map of the U.S. that is color-coded to indicate the prevailing mental health issues by state. Users can interact with the map to reveal the data behind the rankings and learn where each state ranks among the rest of the nation. Statistics and state colors change and blend according to the selected mental health problem and chosen state. Green to yellow states indicate the lowest incidences of psychological problems per capita, and red to brown states indicate the highest incidences.

The infographic takes a statistical look at specific issues of alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, suicide and all forms of mental illness. The numbers also include the dollar amount each state spends per person to treat mental problems as well as the average spend for all U.S. states. "Mental Illness in America" makes it easy for users to compare the rates of spending to the rates of addiction and mental illness across the nation.

Conditions of alcoholism, drug dependency and mental illness in the U.S. often go untreated and ignored, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. A recent SAMHSA report found that 8.6 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide in 2013, yet more than half (51.8%) of them received no mental health services.

A spokesperson for Best Psychology Degrees said the launch of "Mental Illness in America" is meant to provide insight and deeper understanding of mental health issues for the benefit of working professionals and students of psychology. "Living with a psychological disorder is one of the biggest challenges posed by life," said editor Pam Melika. "And our new graphic fully reveals the extent of mental problems across America."

"Mental Illness in America" is available now at no cost on BestPsychologyDegrees.com. http://www.bestpsychologydegrees.com/mental-health/

About: Best Psychology Degrees is an online collection of rankings and reviews for psychology degree programs and careers. The site provides a wealth of useful resources for professional advancement in the field of psychology, including mental health links, blogs, FAQs and industry articles.

Pam Melika 
931-463-3784 
Email 

SOURCE BestPsychologyDegrees.com