Mental Health in Ohio

This fact sheet provides an overview of mental health and substance use disorders in Ohio, including mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, trends in drug overdose death rates and suicide death rates, and coverage and access issues. For comparison, national level data are also included.

Substance use disorder is using illicit drugs or meeting criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse, defined based on a person reporting a “pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.” The pandemic has coincided with an increase in substance use and increased death rates due to substances. In 2021, there were over 106,600 deaths due to drug overdose in the U.S.– the highest on record. This marks a 51% increase in drug overdose deaths from prior to the pandemic (there were over 70,630 deaths in 2019). The uptick in substance use and deaths disproportionately affects many people of color. While white people continue to account for the largest share of deaths due to drug overdose per year, people of color are accounting for a growing share of these deaths over time.