Akron, Ohio Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Akron, Ohio

Akron is located around 30 miles south of Cleveland in Ohio. Akron’s the fifth largest city in Ohio, and it’s located in Summit County. Akron is in what’s considered the Great Lakes region, and it’s just around 40 miles south of Lake Erie. The city is home to the University of Akron and a portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Current Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in Akron include Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and FirstEnergy. Goodyear actually just build their new world headquarters in the city, and they are one of the largest private employers in Akron.

Mental Health Concerns in Akron

As with essentially any city in America, Akron isn’t without its problems and concerns. First, for not just Akron but the entire state of Ohio, there is a significant problem with opioids and opioid overdose deaths. There were more than 3,600 opioid overdose deaths in Ohio in 2016. That led to a rate of 32.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the state. That was well above the national rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 individuals. The death rate from opioid-related overdoses has tripled in Ohio since 2010. In 2015, there were an estimated 85.8 opioid prescriptions written in Ohio per 100 people. The national average was 70 prescriptions per 100 individuals.

Among youths aged 12 to 17, there was an estimated 10.3 percent in Ohio who reported having a major depressive episode at least once in the year before the year a survey was taken. The survey was from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. The same study showed that from 2013 to 2014, there were around 434,000 adults in Ohio who reported having a serious mental illness. Of those people, only 47 percent received either mental health treatment or counseling. The majority, 53 percent, did not receive counseling or mental health treatment.

While the divorce rate in Ohio has trended down since 1990, in 2015 it was still fairly high at 3.1 divorces per 1,000 residents of the state.

To add to the stress that many individuals, families, and households may be seeing in Akron, there are other concerns as well. For example, while most of the nation has seen substantial upticks in household income and many regions have seen declining poverty rates, Akron hasn’t necessarily followed those trends. According to Census Bureau data released in 2016, the median household income had actually fallen 0.5 percent from the previous year. The poverty rate grew 3.2 percent in Akron during that time, and there was an estimated 26% percent of all residents of the city living below the poverty level.

Mental Health Resources in Akron

While there are certain statistics that can paint a troubling picture in Akron, there are mental health resources available as well. For example, the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADM) Board funds many mental health agencies in the area. Most of these counseling services are provided at a reduced rate, typically based on a sliding scale.

Akron Children’s Hospital Behavioral Health Emergency Service treats children and teens who go to the ER because of behavioral or mental health disorders. The Akron Family Institute provides mental health services specifically aimed at relationships within families. There are also nonprofits like the Choices Community Center. The Choices Community Center offers services including recovery and support groups, and NA and AA meetings. There are many private practices available as well.

Akron Therapist Directory

Whether you’re struggling with problems in your marriage or a family relationship, you are having problems with substance abuse, or you have a mental condition such as major depressive disorder, understanding that help is available in Akron is critical.

With that in mind, we put together the above Akron therapist directory. The care providers included in the above list are high-quality behavioral health specialists including psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors. The hope with the directory is that it streamlines your search for a care provider who matches your needs.