Mental HealthTampa Bay

HIGHLIGHTS

• For most Tampa Bay counties, the 2021 suicide rate exceeded the Florida average.
• The Tampa Bay region lost 30 people per week to an opioid fatality in the first half of 2020, a 61.62% increase when compared to the first six months of 2019.
• In the Tampa Bay region, 11.67% of the population is uninsured, and the share of healthcare expenditures accounted for 9.8% of the average household’s budget, higher than the national average of 8.3%.

Suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related deaths – known together as “deaths of despair” – are increasing across the U.S. and Tampa Bay. Causes related to low socioeconomic position and education levels and working in jobs with high insecurity, unemployment, and living in rural areas have been identified as the most relevant social determinants behind deaths of despair. Access to mental health, medical, and substance abuse programs is critical to ensuring the safety and health of the Tampa Bay community.

2021 Suicide (Age-Adjusted) Rate per 100,000 of the Population

Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., resulting in about one death every 11 minutes. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people 10 to 34 years of age, the fourth leading cause among people 35 to 54 years of age, and the eighth leading cause among the 55 to 64 years of age group. Death by suicide continues to be a growing problem in the Tampa Bay region, where access to affordable and rapid mental health care is critical.

2021 Drug and Opioid Overdose Death Rate (Age-Adjusted) per 100,000 of the Population

Opioids, mainly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, are the main drivers of drug overdose deaths. In 2021, Florida’s annual, age-adjusted, drug overdose death rate per 100,000 of the population was 38.50, with the death rate associated to opioids at 31.20. Unfortunately, most counties in the Tampa Bay region reflect higher death rates for drug overdose, as well as for opioid overdose, than the Florida average.

Mental Health Providers per 10,000 of the Population (2021)

In general, the Tampa Bay counties that trend higher for suicide or drug overdose deaths have fewer mental health professionals per 10,000 of the population, creating a serious gap in services where they are most needed.

Share of County Population Without Health Insurance (2021)

According to the 2021 Census, 11.67% of Tampa Bay’s population is uninsured. Polk County has the highest percentage of uninsured individuals, at 13.60%, while Sarasota County has the lowest rate, at 10.30%. The Florida average is 12.10%, higher than the national average of 8.63%.