Arizona Mental Health Index

Data Transparency & Attribution

The Arizona Mental Health Index is built exclusively from publicly available, ethically sourced federal, state, and institutional datasets. All data is anonymous and aggregated at the county level. No individual patient data is used at any stage. The composite Arizona Stress Index is a normalized, weighted model designed for public awareness — it is not a clinical instrument.

Federal SourceState SourceAcademic SourceNonprofit Source

Federal Sources

[1]CDC PLACES2025

PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data, 2025 Release

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Population Health

Coverage: County, Place, Census Tract, ZIP Code (all 50 states)Updates: Annual

Used for: Depression prevalence, frequent mental distress, uninsured rate, housing insecurity, food insecurity, loneliness, lack of social support

Source

[2]HRSA Data Warehouse2024

Designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) Statistics — Q4 FY2024

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Coverage: County, Geographic, Population Group, and Facility HPSAs (national)Updates: Quarterly

Used for: HPSA shortage severity score, percent of population living in shortage area, FTE providers needed to eliminate shortage

Source

[5]SAMHSA2024

NSDUH Behavioral Health Barometer: Arizona, Volume 8

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality

Coverage: Arizona statewide (2021–2023 NSDUH data)Updates: Annual

Used for: Statewide estimate that 23% of Arizona adults aged 18+ experienced any mental illness in the prior year

Source

[8]CDC2023

Suicide Rates by State, 2023

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Coverage: All 50 statesUpdates: Annual

Used for: Arizona statewide age-adjusted suicide rate: 19.22 per 100,000 (2023); used as statewide headline statistic

Source

[11]U.S. Census Bureau2023

American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, 2019–2023

U.S. Census Bureau

Coverage: County, ZIP Code, Census Tract (national)Updates: Annual

Used for: Population denominators used in normalization; housing cost burden and uninsured rate context

Source

State Sources

[3]AZDHS2023

Suicide Surveillance Report, Arizona, 2013–2023

Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Health Statistics

Coverage: Arizona statewide and county-levelUpdates: Annual

Used for: County-level suicide mortality rates per 100,000 population; rural vs. urban comparisons

Source

[4]AZDHS2024

Arizona State Health Assessment 2024

Arizona Department of Health Services

Coverage: Arizona statewide, with county health profilesUpdates: Annual

Used for: Contextual framing of mental health, behavioral health access, and social determinants of health across Arizona

Source

[9]Maricopa County2023

Suicide Data — Maricopa County, 2023

Maricopa County Department of Public Health

Coverage: Maricopa County, ArizonaUpdates: Annual

Used for: Maricopa County crude suicide death rate: 17.5 per 100,000 (2023)

Source

Academic Sources

[6]U of A Center for Rural HealthJanuary 2025

Quantifying Arizona's Mental Health Workforce Shortage Using Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Data

University of Arizona Center for Rural Health

Coverage: Arizona — all 15 counties and tribal areasUpdates: As published

Used for: Psychiatrist FTE shortage by county, tribal HPSA scores, Arizona meets only 10% of mental health need, 144 FTE psychiatrists needed statewide

Source

Nonprofit Sources

[7]Mental Health America2025

The State of Mental Health in America 2025

Mental Health America (MHA)

Coverage: All 50 states + DC (ranked)Updates: Annual

Used for: Arizona's national ranking (#34 out of 51) for adult mental illness prevalence and access to care

Source

[10]Arizona SPC2024

Current Suicide Rates — Pima County 2024

Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition

Coverage: Pima County, ArizonaUpdates: Annual

Used for: Pima County suicide rate: 19.0 per 100,000 (2024)

Source

[12]KFF2025

Mental Health Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)

Kaiser Family Foundation

Coverage: All 50 statesUpdates: Quarterly

Used for: Cross-validation of HRSA HPSA data; national context for Arizona's shortage severity

Source

Composite Index Methodology

The Arizona Stress Index (0–100) is calculated using a weighted average of five Min-Max normalized components. Each raw metric is scaled to 0–100 before weighting, ensuring that no single data source dominates due to differences in unit scale.

Component	Source	Weight
Frequent Mental Distress	CDC PLACES 2025 [1]	35%
HPSA Shortage Score	HRSA Q4 2024 [2]	25%
Housing Insecurity	CDC PLACES 2025 [1]	15%
Uninsured Rate (18–64)	CDC PLACES 2025 [1]	15%
Depression Prevalence	CDC PLACES 2025 [1]	10%

Normalization formula: Score = (Value − Min) / (Max − Min) × 100, applied per metric across all 15 Arizona counties.

Disclaimer: The Arizona Mental Health Index uses model-based estimates from federal and state public health datasets. The composite Stress Index is designed for public awareness and educational purposes only. It should not be used for clinical diagnosis, treatment decisions, or policy implementation without consulting primary data sources. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).