California sand with rocks stacked to represent mental health
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Summary: Mental health data for California shows rates of mental illness in 2022-2023 were lower than national and regional averages. Average rates of mental health treatment in California were also lower than national and regional averages.

Key Points:

  • California showed lower average rates for any mental illness (AMI), serious mental illness (SMI), and major depressive episode (MDE), compared to overall U.S. averages and Western regional averages.
  • Greatest differences in rates of AMI, SMI, and MDE appeared between California and the Western Region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, California, Washington, and Hawaii.
  • Lower rates of mental health treatment in California were consistent across adult age groups,
  • New legislation passed in 2024 includes programs and funding to expand infrastructure and increase treatment rates across the state.

Improving Mental Health in California: Statewide Initiatives

In 2004, California voters passed the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which was replaced in 2024 by the new, revised Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), designed to transform mental health care in California by expanding diagnosis and treatment capacity, providing substance use treatment for Californians in need, expanding the size of the behavioral health workforce statewide, and redirecting funds to establish over 10,000 permanent behavioral health and supportive mental health housing units statewide.

The passage of these laws – supported by a 6.4-billion-dollar commitment – means both the citizens of California – that’s us – and our elected leaders take mental health and mental/behavioral health treatment seriously.

As Californians, we understand that mental health is connected to overall health and wellbeing, and we know when people can improve their health and wellbeing across all life domains – thriving rather than simply surviving – life is better for everyone.

These new initiatives, passed in 2024 as part of Proposition 1, are in the early stages of implementation. Counties are adjusting budgets, preparing to increase local infrastructure to support expanding coverage for specific, vulnerable populations with serious mental and behavioral health issues. At the state-level, policymakers from Department of Health Care Access are laying the groundwork for expanding the behavioral health workforce, focusing on mental health treatment, substance use treatment, and enhancing services for people under age 25.

In this rest of this article, we’ll share the data on rates of mental illness, major depressive episode, and receipt of mental health treatment in California before the passage of the BHSA and implementation of these new initiatives.

Rates of Mental Health Disorders and Mental Illness in California, 2022-2023

With the facts and figures below, published in the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 2022 and 2023, we can establish a reference point for evaluating the effectiveness of these new initiatives.

When the National Institutes of Health publish the 2025 NSDUH, we’ll compare rates – and learn whether this ambitious, statewide effort worked. In the meantime, let’s review the data, and see where we stand now.

First, we’ll look at rates of Any Mental Illness (AMI) among adults 18+.

Any Mental Illness (AMI): 2022-2023 Averages

  • Age 18+:
    • USA: 22.9%
    • California: 20.9%
    • Western US: 23.9%
  • Ages 18-25:
    • USA: 35.02%
    • California: 34.12%
    • Western US: 37.6%
  • Age 26+:
    • USA: 21.1%
    • California: 18.9%
    • Western US: 21.83%

In that data, we can see that rates of AMI in California are around 2-3 percent lower than rates in the West and rates nationwide, with the exception of young adults 18-25, who show rates closer to the national average, but still around 3 percent below Western regional averages.

Serious Mental Illness (SMI): 2022-2023 Averages

  • Age 18+:
    • USA: 5.83%
    • California: 4.87%
    • Western US: 6.11%
  • Ages 18-25:
    • USA: 10.9%
    • California: 10.1%
    • Western US: 11.8%
  • Age 26+:
    • USA: 5.0%
    • California: 4.1%
    • Western US: 5.2%

In that data set, we see that rates of SMI in California, across adult age groups, are consistently about 1 percent lower than national averages. This is an important set of figures, because the BHSA prioritizes supporting patients with serious mental illness, and tracking these rates will be essential for gauging the impact of a wide variety of new programs.

Next, let’s look at the latest data on major depressive episode (MDE), which is an evidence-based metric used to track prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in the general population, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.

Major Depressive Episode (MDE): 2022-2023 Averages

  • Age 18+:
    • USA: 8.64%
    • California: 7.49%
    • Western US: 8.91%
  • Ages 18-25:
    • USA: 18.8%
    • California: 18.7%
    • Western US: 20.5%
  • Ages 26+:
    • USA: 7.06%
    • California: 5.75%
    • Western US: 7.13%

Here we see a similar pattern to the datasets above. Rates of MDE in California, like rates of AMI and SMI, are slightly lower than the national average and regional average, with young adults 18-25 closer to the national average than all adults and adults age 26+.

The last set of data we’ll share is perhaps the most important. While we need to know the prevalence rates we share above, that’s just the first step: the goal is to get people who need treatment the treatment they need.

Received Mental Health Treatment: 2022-2023 Averages

  • Age 18+:
    • USA: 22.4%
    • California: 18.0%
    • Western US: 21.6%
  • Ages 18-25:
    • USA: 27.0%
    • California: 22.6%
    • Western US: 25.6%
  • Ages 26+:
    • USA: 21.6%
    • California: 17.3%
    • Western US: 20.1%

Now we can fully appreciate why lawmakers proposed the revised Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), and why we, as Californians, voted it into law. Rates of treatment for mental health disorders in California lagged behind national and regional averages – and the differences are greater than the differences we see in prevalence rates, which means we have work to do.

Expanding Mental Health Treatment in California

To revisit the question we pose in the title of this article, we’ll offer this answer:

In California, there are areas where we’re doing well, and areas where we need improvement. Overall, our prevalence rates of mental illness are lower than national and regional averages, but so are our rates of treatment. Therefore, two statewide goals include:

  1. Addressing Prevalence Rates. California can lower prevalence of mental illness and serious mental illness by enacting programs that support mental health among vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illness, people with mental illness and drug use, and youth/adolescents.
  2. Improving Treatment Capacity. California can increase rates of treatment by expanding the behavioral health workforce, creating a robust mental health infrastructure, and offering more patients with serious mental illness full service partnership treatment.

With regard to the first goal, addressing prevalence rates, data from the state shows that – thanks to state programs – 94% of all people in California have insurance that covers behavioral health treatment. When people have the support they need as early as possible, two things can happen: risk of developing mental illness decrease, and recovery and remission from existing mental health disorders increases.

And with regard to the second goal, expanding treatment capacity, data from the state shows there are currently over 30,000 mental health treatment sites and/or housing units either open or under construction. In 2022, around 28,000 Californians received with serious mental illness received a full spectrum of support. In 2023, that number increased to 30,000. Finally, estimates show that in 2024, that number increased to 35,000.

Getting Help at Crownview

If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for mental illness, please contact us here at Crownview Psychiatric Institute: we can help. We support patients with a wide range of mental health disorders, including but not limited to:

We offer a range of traditional and cutting-edge therapies for people with complex mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and treatment-resistant conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression (TRD), including:

We’re committed to improving mental health in California, for all Californians. If you’re not ready to call us to talk, please use the resources below. If you need help, treatment can work: we’re ready when you are.

Finding Help: Free Online Resources

In addition, you can find support through the following online resources:

About Angus Whyte

Angus Whyte has an extensive background in neuroscience, behavioral health, adolescent development, and mindfulness, including lab work in behavioral neurobiology and a decade of writing articles on mental health and mental health treatment. In addition, Angus brings twenty years of experience as a yoga teacher and experiential educator to his work for Crownview. He’s an expert at synthesizing complex concepts into accessible content that helps patients, providers, and families understand the nuances of mental health treatment, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes and quality of life for all stakeholders.