What does this measure?
The rate of individuals 18 and older reporting any mental illness or serious mental illness in the past 12 months.
Why is this important?
Mental illness can decrease one's ability to function in daily life and is the leading cause of disability in the United States.
How does our county compare?
In 2018-20, the years that data was available, 4.3% of Lancaster County residents 18 and over reported mental illness, unchanged from 2016-18. The state rate was 5.0% in 2018-20, which increased from 4.4% in 2016-18.
The prevalence of mental illness in 2018-20 in Lancaster was on par with rates in Dauphin and Lebanon and lower than Chester (4.6%), Berks (4.7%), York (4.8%), and Cumberland (5.2%).
Notes about the data
"Serious mental illness" is defined as a mental illness that resulted in serious functional impairment in carrying out major life activities. Data come from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health sponsored by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA combined three years of responses to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates.
For this indicator, the counties were defined by the "2016-2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health." Counties are grouped into substate regions and are regional estimates. The substate region referred to as Regions 4, 11, 37, and 49 is made up of the following counties: Berks, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, and Wayne. The substate region referred to as Regions 19, 26, 28, and 42 is made up of the following counties: Adams, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York.
National data for 2016-18 is not available.
| 2008-10 | 2010-12 | 2012-14 | 2014-16 | 2016-18 | 2018-20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 5.0% |
| Lancaster County | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Chester County | 4.3% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 4.6% |
| Berks County | 4.5% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 4.7% |
| York County | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.8% |
| Dauphin County | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Lebanon County | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Cumberland County | 4.8% | 4.0% | 4.4% | 4.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| INDICATORS | TREND |
|---|---|
| People Without Health Insurance | Decreasing |
| Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Health Status | Decreasing |
| Prevalence of Mental Illness | Maintaining |
| Adults Who are Overweight or Obese | Not Applicable |
| Mortality Rates | Decreasing |
| Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity | Increasing |
| Fatal Drug Overdoses | Increasing |
| Cancer Incidence | Decreasing |
