Therapists in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and Nearby Locations

Overview of Mental Health in Rancho Cucamonga, California

Rancho Cucamonga is an extremely wealthy city located a couple dozen miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The city is routinely included on lists of the best places to live in the country. Residents enjoy award-winning schools and a very low crime rate.

Rancho Cucamonga’s estimated 2016 population was 176,540. The median age is 36 years old. The median household income is $81,286, far above the national average. Because the city’s residents are relatively protected from some of the risk factors associated with mental health problems, it’s easy to think that they don’t have the same needs as less advantaged communities.

However, the city recently experienced a rash of youth suicides.

Rancho Cucamonga Demographics

Rancho Cucamonga is a fairly diverse city. It’s 38% white, 37% Hispanic, and 12% Asian. 83,178 residents are employed at least part-time. Slightly more than 8% of residents live in poverty, far below the national average of 14%.

The city is one of the wealthier ones in California.

There are multiple universities in Rancho Cucamonga and many are nearby. Over 35% of the adult population over 25 has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Slightly more men than women have higher education degrees.

Rancho Cucamonga Crime

The city has a low crime rate compared to the average California city. Residents are less likely to experience both property and violent crimes than most people in California. This contributes to the state of the city’s overall mental health.

Crime and mental problems are closely related. A lower-than-average crime rate could be a sign that the city’s residents are healthy.

Rancho Cucamonga Mental Health

Rancho Cucamonga residents have access to more wealth than the average person in the country. However, the city is still part of the California system. California’s mental health resources are notoriously strained. The state doesn’t have enough providers to meet the needs of the community.

Los Angeles County, which is near Rancho Cucamonga, has a serious problem with both homelessness and untreated mental health issues.

In August 2018, Rancho Cucamonga experienced a string of youth suicides, alarming parents and city officials.

The school district looked at its mental health resources in response to the tragedy. Administrators are working with outside groups to introduce mental health topics to teenagers.

Mental health is so complex,” Matthew Holton, superintendent of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District told the Los Angeles Times. “As a district, we are committed to continuing to have a pulse on our campuses, to watch our campuses, and, most importantly, to be proactive in our relationship with our students and the services we provide for them.”

Experts are concerned about “suicide contagion.” People can be influenced to commit suicide after hearing about it from their friends or seeing it on the news.

Rancho Cucamonga Mental Health Resources

The recent spate of teen suicides has forced Rancho Cucamonga officials to rethink their mental health policies. State-level officials are considered for some of the same issues.

Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign a bill that would require public schools to put the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number on student ID cards.

Because California doesn’t have enough therapists and psychiatrists to treat its population, it’s possible that people with mental health struggles in Rancho Cucamonga don’t have anyone to reach out to when they feel a crisis forming.

Mental health can be very tricky to treat. Rancho Cucamonga students have access to “18 marriage and family therapists, 54 counselors, 27 psychologists, and five psychotherapists.” Teachers are encouraged to remind students that these resources are available to them.

Adults have access to a variety of mental health professionals. People of all ages who have mental health problems should seek help.