NAMI’s Mississippi fact sheet describes statewide mental health needs, suicide-related indicators and out-of-network barriers, using data available in March 2025.
NAMI outlines statewide need
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 487,000 adults in Mississippi have a mental health condition. According to NAMI, that figure is more than 10 times the population of Biloxi. The organization also reports that 113,000 Mississippi adults have a serious mental illness. NAMI’s state fact sheet says it was compiled using data available in March 2025.
Suicide-related indicators
NAMI reports that 417 lives were lost to suicide in Mississippi in 2022. The fact sheet states that 109,000 Mississippi adults have serious thoughts of suicide each year. For adolescents, NAMI reports that 47,000 experience a major depressive episode each year and that 31,000 have serious thoughts of suicide each year.
The NAMI fact sheet also reports that Mississippi’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Line call centers received 14,087 calls in 2023. These figures describe the scale of reported mental health and suicide-related concerns in the state, according to the organization’s state fact sheet.
Coverage and other barriers
NAMI reports that Mississippians are 1.5 times more likely to be forced out of network for mental health care than for primary care. The fact sheet identifies this as a difference in access to covered care between mental health services and primary care.
NAMI also reports that one in eight of the almost 1,000 people in Mississippi who are unhoused have a serious mental illness. Among young people, the organization says that 22% of Mississippi youth ages 0 through 17 have experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences. NAMI states that such experiences are linked to mental illness and substance misuse in adulthood.
What this means for Mississippi patients
NAMI’s figures describe substantial reported mental health needs alongside potential coverage barriers for people seeking care in Mississippi. For people looking to find treatment locally, this directory lists 21 published clinics in Mississippi; availability, network participation, and services may differ by location.
This is general information, not medical advice.
More Mississippi reporting on access & coverage.
This report is educational and is not medical advice. Coverage, availability and eligibility can change; verify details with the named source or your care team.