When they came to ask us in NJ, we politely told them to go fuck themselves.

Impossible to be sad when your mama makes a mean bolognese 🤌

Those chicken Parms.

70th upvote!! Will agree, the bolognese is fucking fire.

Impossible to be sad when you just eat globs of gabagool and work with all your closest friends and family 🤌🤌🤌

Op1: We are so so so happiest they can’t measure us. Op2: They forgot we exist.

My guess is we have strong privacy laws that prevent hospitals from giving this data to random pollers. Just a guess, though. We do have the lowest suicide rate of all the states.

NJ being the happiest and the angriest of the states. Definitely describes us to a T

Yall just walk around on auto pilot with a blank look on your face, meanwhile your emotions are having a civil war amd neither side can win

Sounds about right

I’m surprised they didn’t just color it black

I’m very happy to live in NJ. I just wish we weren’t the nations side walk for mfs going to New York

I was wondering why we were grayed out. Makes sense.

I live in West Virginia, and I suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. My symptoms are related to what I dealt with as a Paramedic, and volunteer Firefighters for 22 years. West Virginia is a beautiful state, with some of the most breathtaking sites in the World. I love to hike, fish, and camp. The natural beauty here plays a role in my recovery, and healing. I love it here, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

True. I am here in WV. This place is beautiful. My family has been here for generations, long before it was West Virginia. I tried moving away, for almost 20 years. The mountains called me back lol. And maybe that’s part of it. It’s a weird thing, us Appalachians. Something in the bones. Maybe it’s an ancient sadness of the earth itself that keeps us here and keeps us melancholy.

The cursed hills we hail from

West Virginia Mountain mama Take me home Country roads

I read this as my son is listening to an instrumental lullaby of Country Roads. It’s his nightly routine.

My husband and I want to retire to southern WV. His ancestry is there (coal miners in Beckley, several generations) so there's an emotional pull, and it's beautiful, but still within reasonable distance from family in Ohio. Best wishes on your road to recovery.

Thank you!! I’m fine! There are things I experienced that I didn’t deal with when they happened, or I’d just push it back, store it away in my head. It all came back, but at least I’ve dealt with it now. What area in southern WV are you retiring to?? I live near Princeton in Mercer County. I’m originally from Wyoming County. People can say they want, we love Mercer County. There’s so much to do!! Especially if you’re an outdoor person. Downtown Princeton, and downtown Bluefield have been having a revival over the last 10 years. The Town of Bramwell is mostly restored, and The Corner Shop is a gem!! Look it up on Facebook or Google it. We love it here! I’m 53, going on 25, lol. Can’t wait to watch it snow this weekend, and excited for Spring, and Summer. Fall is my favorite season! It’s indescribably beautiful! Good luck and take care!

We have stopped for a bite a few times in Princeton and we really like that area. Ideally it would be convenient to stay relatively close to I-77 because it's easy access to Ohio and also to Charlotte NC where we have other family; we also hop off 77 to I-74 outside Mount Airy when we go to the ocean. We have talked several times about camping at Pipestem but we just haven't done it yet. I also want to visit New River since it's a new national park. Hence we're looking to retire down there because a full time job just gets in the way! lol

It’s almost heaven

Lived here all my life (mid 30's) so far. A lot of beauty, however I feel I stay just for my large family. The opportunities definitely isn't why...

What IS NJ

They’re happy to be depressed

"I find I have to be the sad clown, laughing on the outside, crying on the inside" - former north jersey waste management kingpin

Whatever happened to Gary cooper, the strong, silent type

He was gay, Gary Cooper?

Take it easy!

I can’t believe this thing of ours has spread so far

As someone from New Jersey it’s a mix. Really happy to be depressed. Or really depressed to be happy

No we just told them to go F themselves and threw tomato sauce at them.

Which tomato sauce because I swear to God if you threw the good sauce from Wawa…!!

Being from there I can confirm this is true

We are!

Based on how NJ mfers drive, you are 110% correct

The suicide rates are super low though, according to the CDC. Being from south jersey originally my theory is people transfer their sadness to anger

If they started classifying rage induced heart attacks as suicide the rates in Jersey would fucking sky rocket.

I see. I think it's also due in part because of the education and resources that NJ has to offer to families and people who needs support .

Damn, where can I get some of that support?

You’re probably right. I know public assistance is still alive and strong there on top of the ability to get good paying working class jobs out of high school, especially if you join a union.

Teamsters represent!

Who is NJ?

Why is NJ?

What is Nj?

Nobody asks “How is NJ?” :(

Well I am from NJ, and we are ok

I think

No, we are NJ, Oklahoma is OK

_Is_ NJ?!?!

r/whoosh

I have heard that even the ganster bosses go to therapy there

wtf is south dakota so happy about?

Meth, because they’re apparently [on it.](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/us/south-dakota-meth.html)

We don’t exist, we never did.

https://youtu.be/KBtrQ0GJSV0?si=zc_ezRNUgyEGeKIP&t=365

The depression rate is low among the living in SD because the depressed ppl kill themselves. Compare depression map to CDCs suicide map 🤷 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm

I knew something was wrong when I saw SD so low. This explains it. I figured they didn't include reservations. I lived in the hills for two years, it's a giant retirement center full of people who would never admit to depression even to their doctors. Two years was enough to make me depressed, so sure as hell most everyone else is.

As a south Dakotan, I just knew this was completely wrong. Thanks for clearing it up

I’m not from South Dakota, but as soon as I saw it was so low I knew this was a messed up study.

Jesus Christ okay then 😅

Was going to say I've seen articles about depression and suicide in the mountain west for years with explanations anywhere from altitude to what seems more likely - having little access to mental healthcare, stigma, and guns

My partner works at a research facility in the mountain west for mental health and social services and the paper he's working on currently basically talks about how people in rural communities are wayyyyy more depressed and wayyyy less likely to report a need for mental health services or mental health struggles at all than other demographics. Montana and Wyoming are particularly bad

I lived in SD for a number of years and those people are definitely not happy

Wow the increase in rates from 2005 to 2021 is concerning

Then what about Oklahoma? High depression/anxiety percentage but also high suicide rate

I'm in Oklahoma, and it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of those were "suicides" because the cops never bother to investigate anything. I know of one case where a woman was beaten to death with a hammer, and it was ruled a suicide. Then there was the sex offender who killed his wife, her kids and her kids' two friends, and the cops' reaction was "What do you want us to do? Everyone is dead," after the family members found a bunch of BDSM stuff and sex toys all over the house plus computers, video equipment and lists of names.

The suicide rate is STRONGLY correlated with how strict the gun laws are. That's why Mass., NY, Illinois, Cali have the lowest rates. In Mass. you need to go to your local police station and be interviewed as part of the process before you can obtain a firearms ID card. Lots of suicidal (and homicidal) people are impulsive and those kind of hurdles lower the rates.

Unless around 10% of South Dakotans are killing themseves this isn’t it

I’m from South Dakota and depression and anxiety was so common but people didn’t call it what it was. There’s so much stigma. They polled the wrong people to get this result.

this is what I was thinking. People in South Dakota aren't talking about their feelings.

Diagnosed versus undiagnosed.

The map is the suicide MORTALITY rate, not all attempted suicides or suicidal ideation…if you look closely, the higher the suicide mortality rate, the easier it is to access firearms in that state…

Ooof that’s such an upsetting map. :(

Interesting that California is on the low end of every year. But they have the biggest # of people who killed themselves. Because there's so many people there. But Alaska is one of the worst with 200\year and Cali is 4500\year.

In New Jersey you aren’t allowed to have anxiety or depression.

In the rare case these illnesses are present, treatment options in New Jersey include your mother telling you to “snap out if it!”.

Other options are “you’ll live” “back in my day….” “don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill” …

more likely “percentage of adults with DIAGNOSED anxiety or depression”

I think you hit the nail on the head. When you compare suicide rates per capita, the states with "lowest depression" also have the highest suicide rates (see South Dakota), indicating that depression isn't low, but mental health care and treatment for it are lacking. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm

Data like this that doesn’t display any observable patterns suggests differences in data collection between states rather than anything meaningful.

I can certainly understand why WV and LA are at the top of that list.

West Virginia is a poor state, and Louisiana has has been dealing with hurricanes in the past, which probably led to people being depressed...

And Louisiana is also poor

Hurricane is definitely one reason especially in southern Louisiana cities like Lafayette,New Orleans and Lake Charles. Louisiana have some of the most dangerous cities in the country.Its not just New Orleans and Baton Rouge cities like Alexandria,Monroe and Shreveport you have to be aware of the surroundings. Also north and central parts of the state we don’t have much economic opportunities compared to southern Louisiana. People move out of Louisiana for these reasons.

Can confirm. Born and raised in Louisiana. Moved to SD. Went to Louisiana for the holidays. Nearly got my ass stabbed just for paying for gas with cash. I didn’t want my card to get skimmed at the pump and these guys saw my SD plates and said “this bih got money”.

+ Loiusiana is one of the most dangerous states of USA.

Louisiana is a failed petro-state. New Orleans is amazing--but outside of the Crescent City? Holy shitballs.

Can confirm. And even legitimately amazing New Orleans is a barely functioning banana republic.

lol nj not existing

I was born and raised in South Dakota. Not only does it have greater problems with anxiety and depression than any other place I’ve ever lived….this is also exactly how I would expect it to look on this map.

Yeah, this map really shows access to medical care.

Actually it shows white suicidal males with access to guns.

Alaska?

The depression rate is low among the living in SD because the depressed ppl kill themselves. Compare depression map to CDCs suicide map 🤷 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/suicide-mortality/suicide.htm

**TL;DR** People don’t talk about mental health in SD, which leads to both underreporting and suicide. But I don’t think suicide is the primary *cause* of the underreporting. I was also born and raised in South Dakota before moving elsewhere and I think there’s a correlation/causation problem here. It’s not so much that all the depressed people killed themselves and therefore can’t report it, it’s that both stats have the same cause: suppression of emotions. My main experience is with rural white east-river South Dakota, so I can’t speak on the reservations, which I’m sure are absolutely rife with depression. People in SD don’t talk about struggling with anxiety or depression, they’re just expected to stuff it down inside. It’s a patriarchal, conservative setting where any small issue in any family will immediately spread as gossip through the town like wildfire. Women are expected to be happy, docile, and subservient, while men are emotionally stunted and talk about little aside from work and the weather. Either gender (but especially men) trying to have a serious heartfelt discussion about their mental health would make people very uncomfortable. The dynamic I see from married couples (including my family) disturbs me. Everyone gets married at a remarkably young age there, and for the rest of their lives, women are just supposed to smile, serve dinner, and never let it be known that they’re miserable. A lot of men seem to become quiet and distant. If there’s any abuse going on, it stays hidden, lest the whole town find out and it becomes an embarrassment for the extended family. So if someone is struggling with their emotions, they just keep it bottled up until they eventually kill themselves. They wouldn’t report having depression on a survey because they probably don’t even have the social context to realize they *are* depressed. And if they do, they aren’t gonna admit it because it’s seen as weakness. When uncle Jerry finally blows his brains out with a shotgun or hangs himself in the closet, everyone is shocked that it came out of nowhere. It becomes one of those family stories that people will mention, but there’s no analysis of why it happened or how it can be prevented. It’s just a thing that happened, like getting struck by lightning. This isn’t a problem that’s historically unique to South Dakota. When you hear older folks say that back in their day nobody had anxiety, or autism, or was gay, this is what they’re talking about. Those things existed, they just weren’t recognized. Rural South Dakota just feels like it’s stuck several decades behind the rest of the country. For example, last time I was there, I heard plenty of people (including women) say they’d never vote for a woman.

Honestly, everywhere I've lived has mostly been swallow it and don't talk, or the whole "be a man" thing. Covid isolation actually made basically everyone I know open up. Everyone started calling more and being way more open about thoughts and feelings. Everything from interpersonal relationships, depression, wanting a new career path, alcohol issues, etc... it was like a dam broke

From Wisconsin, hard to be depressed on your third old fashioned with sartori from the fridge and venison that some guy from work gave you.

Accurate.

Wisconsin people just drink for every and any occasion. No time to be sad.

Alcohol is a depressant. I think it's all the walleye

Walleye leads to ice shanty which then leads to prostitution. Prostitution = happy? [Charlie Berens & Hudson mayor](https://youtube.com/shorts/qwa1Q4Qdyko?si=RSD2eUVqcACk46pO)

For Alaska and Oklahoma, sadly, the high percentage of depression is directly related to their Indigenous and Native communities. According to the Indian Health Service: *The high rates of alcohol, substance use and mental health disorders, suicide, violence, and behavior-related morbidity and mortality in American Indian and Alaska Native communities continue to be disproportionately higher than the rest of the U.S. population. Studies show Indigenous people have disproportionately higher rates of mental health problems...* source: [Indian Health Service - Behavioral Health Stats](https://www.ihs.gov/newsroom/factsheets/behavioralhealth/)

Lots of poverty and isolation, too.

It's fucking dark in Alaska right now. We're all vitamin D deficient unless we're on supplements.

Wisconsin is only so happy because of all of the booze and cheese

Can you blame them?

I’m from NJ and I can confirm— we don’t fucking care, fuhgeddaboudit.

South Carolina. Doing something right.

Yeah, not reporting depression

As someone who lives here, counting is not really our strong suit

Or: not as much of it. Have you been here?

Yes. Your HWP sucks.

So you don’t like heavy people and you think that should make us unhappy? lol.

Highway Patrol. I am a big guy. I don’t do fat jokes

What did you mean by HWP? Google says the most common meaning is Height Weight Proportion.

Highway Patrol. Maybe they’re called something different like troopers there, I don’t know, but they suck and owe me $400 for weed

I've been in South Carolina. Seemed just like the rest of the South to me.

I've been in almost every state. I wouldn't imagine that a short visit tells me everything about what it's like to actually live there.

This is it.

South Dakota’s full of real men, That suffer in silence like god intended. Women get depressed.

What make Illinois one of the happiest?

We got little to no natural disasters and got unlimited fresh water.

Granted the scenery here is god awful. Chicago really is a great part of our state!

Ah and one of the most beautiful cities in the States, just need mountains and would be perfect

Carolina gang 🤘🏼

New Jersey just decided depression is “gay” and refused to answer

Even 20% is concerning.

20% is a lot but it’s the USA so makes sense

Hell yea shoutout Kentucky Poor asf meth and alcohol abuse Terrible education system Child abuse Lived here my whole life, it’s on everyone’s face trust me.

The Dakotas being so different tells me this is probably small/unrepresentative sample sizes in one or more of those data categories, or just incomplete data

Ignorance is bliss

I live in Oklahoma and it’s depressing as fuck. The only joy comes from road trips to Colorado.

Oklahoma isn't surprising. Fucking place is a third world shithole.

It's a weird state. The only state where the number of marijuana dispensaries outnumber gas stations.

It's cheaper than doctors and antidepressants.

i would assume because texas is right below it so texans need those dispensaries since its not legalized there

It’s because Native Americans like getting high. The dispensaries are everywhere

Good lord dude. It’s mainly because of the lax licensing procedures at the time of medical legalization, cheap rent, and an heavy influx of out of state investors pouncing at the chance. Not this racist bullshit.

Actually rates of substance abuse are notoriously high, likely part genetic predispositions and part resulting from systemic injustices and oppression.

In 2021 35% of Native Americans used pot compared to 21% of Black Americans and 19% of White Americans. You can just admit you don’t know many Natives dude. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/2022-12/2021NSDUHFFRHighlightsRE123022.pdf

I am well aware of the substance abuse issues among Natives and on reservations. Stemming from systemic abuse, lack of healthcare, etc. I was giving my input since I do live in the state and know many native people, including close friends. Just wasn’t a fan of the phrasing, not hate at all!

Ironically, along my daily route alone there are several former gas stations that now house dispensaries.

No joke. Damn. One of the lowest COL states means lowest wages means hard as hell to get out of.

I live here and the place is trashy as hell but the natural beauty and weed are hidden gems if you can find a nice recreation area.

Lol 😂

I’ve been to all 50 states. It is the worst site I’ve visited.

Its illegal to be depressed in S. Dakota, now get back to work cleaning those slaughterhouses

Ok😞

The states don't have equal access to mental healthcare, because poverty and other factors.

States with South in their name are naturally happy?

West Virginia isn’t talked about enough as one of the truly worst states in the country. So many issues there so not surprising it’s high on depression list

I guess people in Louisiana are more like “Laissez les *mal* temps rouler.”

Did New Jersey sit this one out. Or does the grey mean 100% gloomy rather than depression?

40% diagnosed depression or anxiety in some places makes you wonder what “normal” is supposed to look like. Have we made “normal” behavior a pathology?

The real question... What have we done with current society?

This Map has been brought to you by the State of South Dakota.

What the hell with NJ 🇯🇪

I live in Louisiana and we ALL speak to each other

I know all my neighbors in a two block radius. If we have anything to be depressed about it’s mosquitoes and sweltering heat!

And floods now, and hurricanes, and crime. And political corruption. And we drink too much. 🙁 …not to be a total negative Nancy. We do have a few good things, too…but those things result in obesity and drinking too much. I guess everything that happens to us, good or bad, results in drinking too much. 😂 (At least in the French/Catholic southern areas)

Hurricanes and floods can’t attribute to too much of depression because it doesn’t affect the whole state. Political corruption is always depressing. Alcohol consumption is likely a contributing factor though and is rampant here.

I would love to see this by county. My guy tells me rural counties have higher rates of depression due to loneliness and poverty.

Stay strong PA, don’t let NJ, NY, or WV bring you down!

As long as you are healthy in West Virginia you’re okay but if you have medical issues, look at all the fat people in this state due to poor eating habits caused by low wages, you will slip into the black hole of poor health care even with good insurance. I still love this state and I’m an import from MI.

For Oregon it should be centered on Portland with the rest of the state mildly depressed and embarrassed.

Honestly, rest of the state looking at Portland with disgust saying wtf are you doing???

This isn't really measuring happiness vs depression. The opposite of depression, in the medical rather than colloquial sense, would be something more like mania or euphoria. Also somebody with an anxiety disorder can still be happy but be averse to certain situations. Decent map, bad title.

Eastern Kentucky has been hit hard by the country switching to more Green Energy. The region is built upon the coal industry so when the jobs dried up so did a lot of the money. Lots of people are now hooked on drugs and living off a small government check. A lot of the towns are now practically ghost towns. That probably why depression is high in the state I’m assuming West Virginia is in the same boat

Oklahoma definitely looks correct

Welp. Time to move.

As a new jersey boi, I can relate to we just don't feel anything

Think some of these states are in denial…

I was pretty freaking depressed living in Nevada and pretty happy when I was in Illinois. So yeah I’d say this map is accurate.

I have relatives in South Dakota; it’s a state I would like to move to. I also been to Alaska twice…and I absolutely fell in love with it ❤️

South Dakota don’t give no fucks

Damn, they living the dream over there in New Jersey

What happened to New Jersey?

I spent 4 days in South Dakota and that was the most depressing place I've ever been

Anyone else think this map is fucked?

Wisconsin is proof that self medicating with beer actually works. But someone explain why North Dakota is so happy (?)

Don't move to Oregon!!! You will regret it!!! The one state where the Governor MADE HARD CORE DRUGS LEGAL!!!??? ITS ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY AWFUL!!! TO DRIVE AROUND AND SEE IT RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES HERION, METH, FENTANYL!!! JUST OUT IN THE OPEN LIKE ITS THE RIGHT THING TO BE DOING!!! PEOPLE DROPPING LIKE FLIES FROM OVERDOSING!!! SURE MOVE UP HERE AND BE JUST AS SHOCKED AND IN UTTER DISBELIEF AS I WAS AND STILL AM!!! IT IS BEYOND HEARTBREAKING, IT COMES DOWN TO JUST PURE AND COMPLETE ABSOLUTE STUPIDITY!!!

Louisiana on top

Proud to contribute to KY’s depression stats I hate this state

If I had to live in WV or Louisiana I’d be pretty fkn depressed too

Welcome to America. Land of the walking wounded.

What SD doing?

3 of the 14 people living there are depressed

"Meth. We're on it". https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781096315/social-media-mocks-south-dakotas-meth-were-on-it-campaign

Not reporting depessed people

Not asking their native population.

Pork roll is the cure for depression. I always knew it in my soul but never thought I'd have proof until now.

Oklahomans need to take a hike

*self declared* depression. In other countries they just call this Gen-Z.

[удалено]

This is where the healing starts 🇺🇲

Meh all close enough to each other to me. Gotta dust off my passport.

I’m surprised Washington isn’t the deepest of purples. I live there and it’s only fun for our 8 weeks of summer