Measuring Mental Health in California's Counties:
What Can We Learn?

This report provides the first county-level comparison of a detailed set of mental health-related measures in the general California population. It addresses how county populations differ in terms of their mental health status, after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. These measures should give some sense of how local mental health care and other local environmental factors may affect mental health. The report also includes some estimates of utilization, insurance coverage, availability of providers, and financial resources for mental health.

The report is designed to facilitate comparisons across counties or regions of the state. The data are discussed measure-by-measure, highlighting notable differences across areas, however, one can focus on any particular county by examining the supplemental tables, which present data grouped by county. The supplemental tables include information on general demographics, the supply of mental health providers, mental health status, and insurance status.

The report is intended to serve as a reference for California policymakers, researchers, providers, clients, and funders. We highlight differences across counties with the idea that this information can eventually be used to understand where service needs may be greatest, how mental health systems are faring, and how systems might be improved. It is important to keep in mind that differences across counties can arise for a variety of reasons, many of which are not well understood. This document is not intended to be a "report card," but rather a source of information that will help us to learn from the diversity of the state. By highlighting differences across counties, we hope this report will serve as a starting point for understanding why the differences exist and how they may be relevant to improving mental health in some areas.