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State of Alaska

Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there is "no health without mental health." 1 "Mental health refers to a broad array of activities directly or indirectly related to the mental well-being component." It is part of the WHO's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease. It is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.2

1. WHO. Mental health: facing the challenges, building solutions. Report from the WHO European Ministerial Conference. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2005.
2. Healthy People 2020, accessed on 8/11/2014 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/mentalHealth.aspx.
Mental health is an integral aspect of well-being and is essential for maintaining healthy family and interpersonal relationships, and enables an individual to live a full and productive life. Globally and in the U.S. mental health has the highest burden of all diseases.3 Mental health disorders also have a serious impact on physical health and are associated with the prevalence, progression, and outcome of some of today's most pressing chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. They have long-lasting effects that not only include high psychosocial and economic costs for people living with the disorder, but also for their families, schools, workplaces, and communities.4

3. Healthy People 2020, accessed on 8/11/2014 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/mentalHealth.aspx.
4. Prince M, Patel V, Saxena S, Maj M, Maselko J, Phillips MR, Rahman A. Global Mental Health 1 - No health without mental health. Lancet. 2007 September 4. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61238-0.
Evidence suggests that mental disorder is independently associated with a substantial excess in all-cause mortality risk. A meta-analysis of 15 population-based studies found that depression diagnosis was signicantly linked with subsequent all-cause mortality (pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.7 (95% CI 1.5-2.0)).5 In addition to the relationship between poor mental health and suicide, research has shown that depression and other mental health conditions are associated with an increased prevalence of chronic diseases. Evidence has shown that mental health disorders-most often depression-are strongly associated with the risk, occurrence, management, progression, and outcome of serious chronic diseases and health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and cancer.5 The association is a complex self-propagating interrelationship between chronic disease and mental illness.6

5. Prince M, Patel V, Saxena S, Maj M, Maselko J, Phillips MR, Rahman A. Global Mental Health 1 - No health without mental health. Lancet. 2007 September 4. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61238-0.
6. Chapman DP, Perry GS, Strine TW. The vital link between chronic disease and depressive disorders. Prev Chronic Dis. 2005 Jan;2(1):A14. Epub 2004 Dec 15.
Mental health disorders are a concern for people of all ages (children to older adults) and are associated with age, gender, education, income level, race and ethnicity, geographical location and sexual orientation.7 Mental health is strongly correlated with indicators of poverty, including low levels of education.8

7. Prince M, Patel V, Saxena S, Maj M, Maselko J, Phillips MR, Rahman A. Global Mental Health 1 - No health without mental health. Lancet. 2007 September 4. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61238-0.
8. Healthy People 2020, accessed on 8/11/2014 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/mentalHealth.aspx.
Mental health promotion involves actions to create living conditions and environments that support mental health and allow people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

Protective factors include individual, familial, and societal factors and can vary based on age and location.
For a detailed description see:
Mental Health data can be obtained from both mortality as well as morbidity data sources:
  • Mortality data provides data on deaths due to suicide completions, mental disorders and illness.
  • Adult prevalence data come from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services.
  • Youth prevalence data come from Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services.
  • Hospital Discharge Data (HDD) for inpatient and ED visits relating to mental health disorders.
  • Treatment Episode Datasets (TEDS) can also be accessed from Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). TEDS provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of the 1.8 million annual admissions to treatment for abuse of alcohol and drugs in facilities that report to individual State administrative data systems. TEDS is an admission-based system, and TEDS admissions do not represent individuals. Thus, for example, an individual admitted to treatment twice within a calendar year would be counted as two admissions. TEDS does not include all admissions to substance abuse treatment. It includes admissions to facilities that are licensed or certified by the State substance abuse agency to provide substance abuse treatment (or are administratively tracked for other reasons). In general, facilities reporting TEDS data are those that receive State alcohol and/or drug agency funds (including Federal Block Grant funds) for the provision of alcohol and/or drug treatment services.

BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) - Examples

Mental Health

CUBS (Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey) - Examples

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) - Examples

YRBSS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System) - Local Examples

YRBSS (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System) - Statewide Examples


Surveillance and Evaluation Team, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 3601 C St, Ste 722, Anchorage, AK 99503. Telephone: 907-269-2020. Email: IBIS-PH@Alaska.gov
The information provided above is from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' Center for Health Data and Statistics, Alaska Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health (Ak-IBIS) web site (http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Tue, 15 January 2019 from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Center for Health Data and Statistics, Alaska Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health web site: http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov ".

Content updated: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:05:52 AKDT
The information provided above is from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services' Center for Health Data and Statistics AK-IBIS web site (http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov/). The information published on this website may be reproduced without permission. Please use the following citation: " Retrieved Tue, 15 January 2019 21:28:42 from Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Center for Health Data and Statistics, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web site: http://ibis.dhss.alaska.gov/ ".

Content updated: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 09:05:52 AKDT