Therapists in Weymouth Town, MA and Nearby Locations

An Overview of Mental Health in Weymouth Town, Massachusetts

When mental health issues start to impact people’s lives, they can affect nearly every facet of daily living. From work performance to relationships with friends and family, issues like depression, anxiety disorders and racing thoughts related to schizophrenia and bipolar depression can change them all forever. Some people living in Weymouth Town, Massachusetts, are vulnerable to mental health issues, and with only a little over half the people in the state being treated, chances are those who suffer likely face a difficult daily struggle. However, before these individuals can be helped, their loved ones must understand what might be contributing to their poor mental health.

Crime and Mental Health in Weymouth Town

Weymouth Town is 44% safer than other cities in the United States. However, this does not mean that the city is immune to crime, and in some cases, poor mental health causes violence. In July of 2018, a young man by the name of Emanuel Lopes shot and killed a police officer and a 77-year-old bystander before being apprehended, and friends and family revealed afterward that Lopes had been mentally ill since high school and had tried to kill himself during his sophomore year. While this is one of the most well-known criminal incidents related to mental illness in the city, it is certainly not the only one that has occurred.

Poor mental health may also lead to property damage and robbery as those who are both homeless and mentally ill try to find shelter or cash to fuel addictive habits. The theft was the most common crime in the area in 2016, followed by assault. While it is difficult to say how many thefts were directly related to mental illness, the statistics seem to suggest that the city’s steady rate of theft, which only recently dropped under 1,000 per 10,000 residents, may be affected by this issue.

Racial Factors and Mental Health in Weymouth Town

Weymouth Town has a population of over 57,000, and a large portion of the populace is Caucasian. 86% of residents claim this ancestry, with only 5.1% claiming African-American roots. There is also a small Asian population in the city. These skewed numbers may be contributing to some mental health problems in the city and might include:

• Feelings of isolation from one’s culture and heritage
• New or worsening depression due to a disconnect from one’s community
• Anxiety due to fears of racial persecution

To compound these racial issues, over 13% of the city’s population is foreign-born and may feel anxiety or depression over being far from their homeland and family.

Poverty in Weymouth Town

Over 6% of the population in Weymouth Town lives under the poverty line. On average, older white women in the city are more likely to experience poverty than men. Poverty and poor mental health often tend to go hand in hand, as they work in a cycle of despair and depression that is difficult for individuals to break out of. Feelings of failure and hopelessness are common as well, especially for the breadwinners of the family. As the cycle continues, depression and despair may lead to suicidal thoughts and actions when people see no other way out of their situation.

Poverty can also affect people’s ability to access mental health services. Those who live in rural areas of the area or in housing where public transportation is not available are likely to suffer longer without treatment, and individuals living below the poverty line are not likely to have health insurance that covers the cost of mental health treatment.

Who Else Is at Risk?

While anyone can be affected by mental illness, certain groups in Weymouth Town may be more vulnerable than others, and these are likely to include:

• Veterans dealing with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder
• Individuals with a genetic predisposition to mental illness
• Elderly people who may develop mental illnesses like Alzheimer’s Disease

Fortunately, there are several clinics and private therapists in the city who specialize in treating mental illness in most of its forms. Before treatment can begin, however, those at risk or their loved ones must learn how to spot the warning signs of poor mental health before it is too late.