College Station, Texas Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health Resources in College Station, Texas

The city of College Station is famous for the renowned Texas A&M University. Located in eastern Texas, College Station is approximately 90 miles from both Houston and Austin.

Money Magazine named College Station the most-educated city in Texas and the 11^th most-educated city in the United States.

However, while College Station’s unemployment rate (2.6% as of May 2018, compared to the state rate of 4.1%) is low and education levels high, mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and bipolar disorder affect all types of people inside and outside of this “Texas Triangle” city.

Mental Health Statistics for College Station, Texas

One in five (or 20%) of adults in Texas will experience a mental health issue this year, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

According to a report, from the American Psychological Association Texas has nearly 3,900 active psychologists — the largest number in the Southern region. This further demonstrates how pervasive the problem of mental illness is among people throughout the state.

While College Station-specific statistics are difficult to find, according to the SAMHSA Texas Behavioral Health Barometer for 2015, Texas overall has mental illness incidence rates that are close to the national average.

• The national and state averages for serious mental illnesses among adults for the same period were 3.8% and 4.2%, respectively.
• Approximately 38.3% of Texas adults visited a mental health professional in 2010-2014, which was lower than the U.S. average of 42.7% for those four years.
• The state’s percentage of major depressive episodes among children 12-17 in 2013-2014 was 11.2% — on par with the U.S. average of 11% for the same period.

Poverty and Mental Health in College Station, Texas

About 33.1% of College Station’s 113,564 residents live below the poverty level – nearly three times the national average of 12.7%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Texas’ overall poverty level is 14.7%, slightly higher than the national average and one of the lowest poverty levels Texas has seen in years.

While it is difficult to pinpoint why a growing city such as College Station has such a high poverty rate compared to the state and national averages, poverty and mental illness have a very complex relationship.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), poverty worsens the symptoms of serious mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The daily struggles of living exacerbate symptoms of mental illness among people of all economic classes. However, when daily struggles are defined as all-too-real fears about food, shelter, and healthcare and combined with one or more serious mental illnesses, treatment compliance and positive outcomes become more challenging.

Mental Health Resources for College Station, Texas

According to SAMHSA, College Station, Texas has only three facilities that offer mental health and/or substance abuse treatment services to children and adults. There is one office of the same regional group of mental health care professionals in the following adjacent cities: Navasota (approximately 23 miles away), Caldwell (approximately 23 miles away), Hearne (approximately 23 miles away), Brenham (approximately 31 miles away), and Madisonville (approximately 36 miles away).

There are three providers of substance abuse-related services in Bryan, a city approximately 12 miles away from College Station. Some of these providers treat people with co-occurring disorders or dual diagnoses (a dual diagnosis is when someone has a mental illness as well as an addiction to drugs and/or alcohol).

Many of these organizations offer low-cost treatment options, especially for people without insurance. This is important not only due to the unusually high poverty rate in College Station (see the “Poverty and Mental Health in College Station, Texas” section for more information) but also the fact that 10.3% of the city’s residents do not have health insurance.

Challenges of Finding a Suitable Therapist in College Station, Texas

This website is dedicated to helping people in College Station, Texas and every other U.S. city find the best mental health treatment possible.

While your employer or health insurer likely has a referral service, you are likely to end up frustrated after hours of completing rather personal forms. More often than not, providers recommended by your employer or health insurer have few or no appointments.