Health - Mental Health & Emotional Well-being

Quick Data Links

Community Development

  Growth
  Housing
  Transportation

Community Living

  Civic Life
  Public Sector Performance

Crime & Safety

  Crime
  Public Safety

Demographics

  Demographics

Economy

  Business
  Individual

Education

  Early Childhood
  K-12
  Adult

Enrichments

  Arts & Culture
  Recreation

Environment

  Use of Resources
  Quality

Health

  Physical Health
  Mental Health
  Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs

What We Measured:

• Mental Health Status
• Suicide

Outside Compass:

• Estimates [pdf] of Larimer County adult residents needing and using Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
• Mental Health [pdf] - Examines access to mental health care, and reports of depression and suicidal thoughts. (Health District of Northern Larimer County, Community Health Survey, 2004)
• Mental Illness and Substance Abuse in Larimer County 2001 Study: [pdf files]
  - National, State and Local Trends affecting Mental Health Care in Larimer County
  - Need for Mental Health Services in Larimer County (See Appendix H - last page)
  - Agency Profiles (Descriptions of mental health agencies, the number and type of population they serve, services they provide and other information.)

Highlights:

• While the majority of the 2004 survey respondents reported experiencing depression and other mental health problems, the percentage of reported depression decreased from 60% in 2001 to 58% in 2004. (Mental Health Status)
• From 2002 to 2006, the 5 year average rate of suicide in Colorado and Larimer County shows marked increases at the 85 and above age group compared to other age groups. In Larimer County, residents ages 85 and above had a suicide rate 2.6 times higher than the rate for 15 to 19 year old age group. Larimer County also shows a distinct increase in suicides at the 55 to 64 age group compared to other age groups and is greater than the Colorado average for this age group. (Suicide)

Related Studies:

• An Analysis of Recent Trends in Colorado's Public Mental Health System [pdf] (February 2005). This report covers different facets of Colorado's mental health service provision such as number of clients served, performance of service, and historical funding for services.
• Predictors of the Onset of Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Heart Failure [pdf] (Amercian Journal of Cardiology, December 2004)
• The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (September 2004) - reports a major correlation between serious mental illness and substance dependence and abuse. [Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)].
• National Youth Risk Behavior Survey: 1991-2005 [pdf] - Trends in the Prevalence of Suicide Ideation and Attempts
• Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America; The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003
• American Psychological Association Reports
• Can't Make the Grade - National Mental Health Association - State Mental Health Assessment Project, 2003
• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment:
  - Colorado Health Information Dataset (CoHID)
  - Best Practices: Mental Health for Children and Youth
  - Health Watch, April 2003: Health Related Behaviors of Colorado Adolescents
• Mental Illness and Substance Abuse in Larimer County 2001
• National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Research Reports
• Pacific Northwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center
• SAMHDA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive)
• SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center:
  - Child and Adolescent Mental Health Resources
  - National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
• Setting the Pace: Model Inclusive Child Care Centers Serving Families of Children with Emotional or Behavioral Challenges
• The Status of Mental Health Care in Colorado, 2003
• United States National Library of Medicine

Related issues within Compass:

• Economy: Individual
• Health: Alcohol Tobacco & Other Drugs
• Health: Physical Health
• Housing
• Larimer County Compass Report 2003: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Funding Crisis
• Larimer County Compass Report 2003: Homelessness in Larimer County

Additional Resources:

• A Family Resource Guide to Keep Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug Free is a public education Web site developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to communicate to parents and other caring adults about how they can help promote their child's mental health and reduce his or her risk for becoming involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
• Colorado Department of Human Services - Mental Health Services
• Connections is a partnership of the Health District and the Larimer Center for Mental Health that provides mental health and substance abuse resources and referrals.
• First Call is a non-profit information and referral agency serving the residents of Larimer County, Colorado.
• Larimer Center for Mental Health
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI)
• National Institute of Mental Health:
  - Child and Adolescent Mental Health publications
  - Additional Mental Health publications
• Other Local Health Resources via the FortNet website
• Psychiatry Matters.MD — online psychiatry articles.
• Suicide Resource Center of Larimer County
• The Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration