Fewer mental health professionals in Indiana than in other states led the city to be ranked among the most depressed states in the nation because many people who need help do not receive it.

Mental Health America presented results for a first study on mental health issues, making a classification of the most depressed and the least depressed states in the country. Utah was the most depressed state, then Hawaii, New Jersey and Illinois were in the top 10 also, Ohio being the last in this top. South Dakota was the least depressed state. The report showed that where the states had more resources to handle mental depression, like professionals and fewer barriers to treatment there had been less depressed citizens and lower rates of suicide. This report attempts to be a first step in a surveillance system to monitor how well mental illnesses are treated around the country.

David Shern, president of Mental Health America, a nonprofit formerly known as the National Mental Health Association said that "the important point here is that we know things that can make a difference. We won't complete the job until, like with smallpox, we draw the prevalence down to zero."

Indiana is already working to attract more psychiatrists to practice and also is conducting mentoring programs to work with primary-care doctors in rural areas, as psychiatrics tend to work in urban rather than in rural areas. So, confronting with a shortage in case of the citizens who live outside the urban area, primary-care doctors in this area should know to refer patients to experts for help.