Jump to content

How's your city's mental health?


Recommended Posts

Edit for source: Men's Health Web site

Is Your Town Down?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which towns stand in the face of depression

By: Sara Vigneri

Maybe it was all those years of futility for the Phillies. Or the shadows cast by New York City to the north and Washington, D.C., to the south. Whatever the reasons, Philadelphia has earned the melancholy distinction of being America's most depressed city, followed closely by Detroit and St. Petersburg, Florida. Men's Health compiled this list based on antidepressant sales, courtesy of NDC Health; suicide rates, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the number of days inhabitants reported being depressed, based on the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, accessed through bestplaces.net.

Where can you find happiness? Texas, that's where. Three of its cities placed in the top four: number one, Laredo; number two, El Paso; and number four, Corpus Christi.

The 20 Happiest Cities

1. Laredo, TX: A+

2. El Paso, TX: A+

3. Jersey City, NJ: A+

4. Corpus Christi, TX: A+

5. Baton Rouge, LA: A

6. Honolulu, HI: A-

7. Fresno, CA: A-

8. San Jose, CA: A-

9. Lincoln, NE: B+

10. Bakersfield, CA: B+

11. Buffalo, NY: B+

12. Anchorage, AK: B+

13. Stockton, CA: B+

14. Shreveport, LA: B+

15. (3-way tie) Madison, WI: B, Montgomery, AL: B, and Des Moines, IA: B

18. Wichita, KS: B

19. (tie) Sacramento, CA: B and Omaha, NE: B

The 20 Most Depressed Cities

1. Philadelphia, PA: F

2. Detroit, MI: F

3. St. Petersburg, FL: F

4. St. Louis, MO: F

5. Tampa, FL: F

6. Indianapolis, IN: F

7. (3-way tie) Mesa, AZ: F, Phoenix, AZ: F, and Scottsdale, AZ: F

10. Cleveland, OH: F

11. New York, NY: D-

12. Salt Lake City, UT: D-

13. Atlanta, GA: D

14. (3-way tie) Yonkers, NY: D, Pittsburgh, PA: D, and Kansas City, MO: D

17. (3-way tie) Long Beach, CA: D, Los Angeles, CA: D, Nashville, TN" D

20. Portland, OR: D

Edited by Chrome
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would never have guessed Corpus Christi would be up there (or Laredo or El Paso for that matter)! My guess is the antidepressant sales aren't there because folks who may use them pop across the border to purchase them much more cheaply. This is speculation on my part, at least partially, but alot of folks make the drive from this area down to Mexico to purchase other drugs, so it would stand to reason.

On the other hand, we're on the coast, it's usually bright and sunny and breezy, and the air is mostly clean, despite the presence of refineries. That's not so bad either I guess! I'd rather live here than either Laredo or El Paso, given the choice.

Edited by Aggie87
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My old hometown of Indy is on the "depressed" list--what a bummer...

Bloomington, where I now live, seems like a much happier place. And we just made a "Top-25-Cities-for-Business" list--this with a 34-year-long Democratic reign and a newly-introduced "living wage"! Come, come, my friends, to Liberal Land... B-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see Portland getting a 'D' but where's Seattle? Go back and check that article again...you obviously missed that new 'perpetually wrapped-around-the-axle' category they recently added to include everything below 'F'.

You see, Washington State is firmly in the hands of the Democrats now. Both Senators, the Governorship, and both State Houses. We used to be number one for depression...back in the Slade days when our ecomony was busted and nothing worked. Now with the Dems in charge jobs are avaiable, the city is cleaner, the roads are getting fixed and cigars are cheaper. It's as simple as that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My old hometown of Indy is on the "depressed" list--what a bummer...

:(

It's ok, guys-- we're the home of Lilly the inventer of the granddaddy SSRI, Prozac. It's good for bizness. :)

That's the way I feel about the Philly area, home (loosely speaking) to most of the rest of the pharmaceutical industry. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...