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CHES 2023: Mental Health

The Community Health Equity Survey (CHES) 2023 Mental Health Report provides an overview of mental health data and findings from the CHES 2023, highlights communities experiencing inequities in poor mental health, and identifies potential areas of action to address the root causes of mental health inequities.

Mental health is integral to our overall health and affects nearly all aspects of our lives. The building blocks for positive mental health include many different factors at the individual, family, community, institution, and systems levels. However, not everyone has equal access to these building blocks and equal opportunities to achieve positive mental health. Systems of oppression, like systemic racism, drive differential access to important social resources and opportunities that shape exposures to key drivers of mental health. This creates unjust patterns of poor mental health within many communities.  

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About the CHES 2023 Mental Health Report

The CHES 2023 Mental Health Report highlights how factors like employment, housing, healthcare access, and social supports influence mental health outcomes. It also underscores significant inequities among specific populations, stressing the need for stronger support systems and upstream solutions like safe housing and neighborhood safety. 

Accompanying the report is the Mental Health Spotlight Slide Deck. This spotlight slide deck translates the information in the written report into slide deck form and highlights the key takeaways. 

Download the Full Report and Slide Deck

You can download the full report and spotlight slide deck below. 

Section 1. Community Health Equity Initiative Overview

This section provides a brief introduction to the Community Health Equity Initiative. 

For more information on CHEI and CHES, please visit the CHES 2023 Background & Resources page. 

Section 2. Mental Health in MA – Equity Framing and Data Overview

This section introduces the CHEI Health Inequities Framework, which helps to illustrate the connection between systems of oppression, key drivers of health inequities, and health outcomes. 

Section 3. Inequities in Mental Health

This section further explores the mental health findings from the 2023 CHES to highlight inequities in poor mental health experienced within communities of focus.

People of Color

LGBTQA+ Community

People with Disabilities 

Section 4. Drivers of Mental Health Inequities

This section provides an overview of the various drivers of health, using CHES data to illustrate their connection to mental health equity. 

Economic Stability and Mental Health

Employment and Mental Health

Social Networks & Supports and Mental Health

Health Care Access and Mental Health

Housing and Mental Health

Environmental Exposures and Mental Health

Violence and Mental Health

Discrimination and Mental Health

Section 5. Actions to Address Root Causes of MH Inequities

This section highlights potential areas for action to address the root causes of mental health inequities supported by findings from the CHES 2023. The section also provides examples of current work happening within communities and at the Department of Public Health to promote mental health. 

Section 6. Conclusions, Resources, Acknowledgements

This final section of the report contains a brief conclusion, other resources, and acknowledgements to our many partners that helped to make this report possible. 

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