This guide defines mental health as the overall well-being and psychological state of an individual, encompassing their emotional, cognitive, and social well-being, influencing how they think, feel, and behave.
Please apply the search strategies outlined in Introduction to Finding Data with the keywords below to help orchestrate a search to find datasets related to mental health.
Keywords: wellness, psychology, mental, PTSD, depression. Anxiety, disorders, cognition, therapeutic
The National Institute of Mental Health’s statistical database includes a wide variety of datasets on a variety of mental health topics in the United States.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, provides a wide variety of datasets related to mental health and substance abuse topics.
The Center for Disease Control, based in the U.S., provides a variety of datasets and reports related to behavioral and mental health.
Mental Health Disclaimer: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its scope may limit the amount and type of data available. It is crucial to understand that HIPAA is a complex and evolving law, and for specific inquiries or concerns related to HIPAA compliance and ethics, research students should consult legal professionals or institutional ethics committees. HIPAA covers protected health information (PHI) held by covered entities like healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. It establishes standards for PHI protection through the Privacy and Security Rules. However, HIPAA does not apply to non-covered entities, de-identified data, publicly available information, or other laws and ethical considerations. Research students must prioritize confidentiality, obtain informed consent, ensure data security, and adhere to institutional review board (IRB) guidelines to conduct ethical research involving healthcare data.