Mental Health and Substance Use

Content Warning: This page includes data related to mental illness, suicide, and overdose.

Help is available if you or someone you know needs mental health support. Explore resources at namimahoningvalley.org and helpnetworkneo.org.

The Problem

Residents of Mahoning County are more likely to die of suicide or overdose than residents of peer counties. Community members identified the following barriers to receiving mental health care: cost, long wait times, stigma, and discrimination.

  • 38% of survey respondents experienced depression symptoms in the last 6 months.

    Source: Mahoning County CHA

  • 45% of survey respondents reporting depression symptoms did not receive treatment.

    Source: Mahoning County CHA

  • 78.9 of every 10,000 emergency department visits are for suspected overdose.

    Source: Mahoning County CHIP

Mahoning County residents experience a range mental health and substance use challenges. Overdose death rates are higher in Mahoning County than peer counties in Ohio. To address this crisis, Mahoning County health partners are focusing on prevention, crisis intervention, workplace wellness, and workforce development.

The Evidence

Overdose and suicide rates are higher in Mahoning County than in peer counties in Ohio.

Overdose data includes Ohio residents who died due to unintentional drug poisoning. Suicide data includes Ohio residents who died due to intentional self-harm (suicide). Rate per 100,000 population. Data for years 2021, 2022, and 2023 are subject to change. Rates based on counts <20 are considered unreliable. Data pulled from the Ohio Public Health Data Warehouse on 11-20-2023 with data from 11-20-2023. Peer counties were selected during the 2022 CHA process based on population, demographics, and history.

Progress

The dashboard below shows Mahoning County’s current status for deaths related to overdose and suicide. The MHSU CHIP strategies aim to reduce suicide and overdose deaths in the short term by supporting crisis intervention, and in the long term by supporting strategies for prevention, workplace wellness, and workforce development. We can track our progress over time toward these short and long-term goals by monitoring overdose and suicide deaths across demographic groups.

The Plan

  • Children raising their hands in a classroom.

    Prevention

    Expand prevention-focused programs such as Social-Emotional Learning in classrooms and Mental Health First Aid trainings in the community.

    Learn More
  • Blue and red lights reflected in a window

    Crisis Intervention

    Expand Crisis Intervention Training for Police Officers and form a Mobile Response and Stabilization Services Team.

    Learn More
  • Two women sitting at a table and speaking.

    Workplace Wellness

    Increase awareness of Employee Assistance Programs and their benefits for employees and employers.

    Learn More
  • A row of people sitting and taking notes.

    Workforce Pipeline

    Visit classrooms, organize shadowing programs, and provide scholarships to build the mental health workforce.

    Learn More