Tennessee has highest depression rate, report says

Source: The Tennessean

A new federal government report shows Tennessee had the country's highest rate of people with a major depressive episode in the past year.

The report, released Thursday, listed 9.8 percent of Tennesseans age 18 and older had such an occurrence. Hawaii had the lowest, 5.0 percent.

The report was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration based on 2006 and 2007 surveys on drug use and health. The agency is within the Department of Health and Human Services.


Tennessee also ranked high in some other categories, including tobacco use and use of illicit drugs other than marijuana.


Read more: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090604/NEWS07/90604007/Tennessee+has+highest+depression+rate++report+says

People might feel less depressed hearing about getting your dog back, your house back, your wife back, your truck back...

I am a Volunteer.

It's not just corn for moonshine that is grown on old Rocky Top.

The anti-southern sentiment is sometimes fierce here! I know we get a bad rap for being such Republican states, but there are Democrats here too. I will have to see how my home state is ranked on depression, probably pretty bad also. So much job loss from the Republican/corporate assault on working people.

But I read your comment and I immediately got "Rockytop" stuck in my head, and I can usually avoid that until SEC Football season starts.

this September. The last time The Smokey Mountain School of The Dentally Impaired played Florida at Florida Field (Sept. of '07) Florida hung a 59 spot on their sorry asses. And then UT had a decent coach who'd actually won about 150 games, a few SEC Titles and A National championship.

Now they have an idiot child who has never coached a college game in his life. Florida's coach, Urban Meyer is laying for that orange trash to show up come Sept.

Waaaahhhhmbulance. Oh, and add Richt to that list. By the time Kiffin's coaching career is over at Tennessee, people won't even remember who those three losers are. :evilgrin:

Lamar Alexander, Frist, Scopes Trial....

If he had won his home state in 2000, life would be a lot better now.

It's not a slam against Al, but against the voters of TN

Tennessee - Red state, getting redder. 10%+ unemployment with lots of auto-related jobs being lost. "Buckle of the Bible Belt". Pollution from coal burning power plants destroying our finest natural resource (Smoky Mtns).


Hawai'i - Solid Blue state. "Paradise".

Hawai'i - Blue State with a Republican governor. :puke: A total disconnect there!

Back in the 1960's the old show "Country Carnival" had a cheery carnival set decoration, but the only upbeat songs were the first song and the show closer. In between was music so sad you'd want to slash your wrists. Of COURSE Tennessee has a lot of depressed people.

It's because after football season they can't get that damned "Rockytop" song out of their heads! :crazy:

It's an interesting issue of causality though; does a good climate, etc., attract individuals who are happier, or does it MAKE people happier? We cannot infer this on this study alone.

Far better than, say, the Dakotas.

I think it's more that there are many poor and isolated people in Tennesse.

Based on the data from this report and from the Census Bureau, there is a -0.43 correlation between median state income level and state depression rate. Higher median income, less depression. Duh, I suppose.

I also did a simple OLS regression:

Depression Rate = 10.22% - (0.0527*Each 1,000 of median income)

The t-statistic of the coefficient is -3.33, very significant statistically.

This says that for every $1,000 a state has in median income, the depression rate is lower by 0.0527% Sounds small, but it's pretty big in terms of numbers of people.

Of course this does not address causality. Do depressed people make less because they are depressed? I don't think that's the case, but it's something to consider.

For example, lower average incomes and higher depression might both correlate with lack of educational opportunity.

I'd like to see it. And a big middle finger to news articles which cite such sources without linking them. Or maybe I missed it.

the western half of the Smokies is in TN.

not just lost, but lost to a "gasp" black man.

Obesity could be caused by depression...

but yeah, health problems kind of go hand in hand...obesity causes depression.

I know from personal experience that growing up hearing all the southern baptist bullshit can make you sick.