Overview of Mental Health Professionals in Irvine, California
Irvine is located in Orange County, California. Irvine started out as a master-planned community, with development by the Irvine Company. Irvine now is home to a number of large corporations particularly focused in the technology sector. Irvine is also where the University of California, Irvine, Concordia University, and campuses of California State University Fullerton and Pepperdine University are located.
Areas of interest around Irvine include Crystal Cove State Park and Balboa Pier. Orange County is also known for its high quality of life, and beautiful weather.
While Irvine has a strong economy and many things that residents find appealing, as with any other city, some problems plague some residents of Irvine as well, often related to mental health. It’s important for people to understand there are resources available to them in and around Irvine if they are struggling with mental health-related issues.
An Overview of Mental Health in Irvine
Irvine, as with most of Orange County, does come with a high cost of living. The cost of living puts Irvine at number 39 out of the most expensive 521 cities in the world, and the cost of living index is nearly 81 out of 100.
Without the cost of rent, the average monthly costs for a family of four in the area is more than $3,600. The average cost of rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a central area of Irvine is more than $2,000 a month. The median rent price is $3,400, which is higher than the median rent price for the Los Angeles metro.
The median home value in Irvine is currently more than $857,000. Often when a city has a high cost of living, people feel the stress and pressure that can come with that. Despite the extraordinarily high cost of living, the poverty rate in Irvine is 12.7 percent, creating a significant wealth disparity among residents.
Cases of mental illness have also risen throughout California and every county in Southern California has seen trends moving upward. It’s estimated that 52,500 young people aged 13 to 17 are living in Orange County with a mental health condition. In 2014, there were 51.4 mental health and substance abuse-related hospitalizations in Orange County per 10,000 residents. One of the leading reasons for hospitalization related to mental health in Orange County was because of depression.
Since 2000, research shows the number of overdose deaths in Orange County related to drugs and alcohol has gone up 82 percent. Each year there are an estimated 5,500 hospitalizations and almost 700 deaths related to drug and alcohol poisonings or overdoses.
Suicide is also one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 33,000 people die by suicide each year. In Orange County, there are an estimated 9.6 deaths by suicide per every 100,000 individuals.
Orange County, including Irvine, has one of the highest divorce rates in the country. Records show that around 72 percent of marriages in Orange County end in divorce, as compared to the national average which tends to hover somewhere around 50 percent.
Mental Health Resources in Orange County
There are resources available to people struggling with mental health, substance abuse or relationship issues in Orange County. There are an estimated 212 mental health professionals for every 100,000 people in the area.
There are also resources available through the Orange County Health Care Agency and the Orange County Health Care Agency Behavioral Health organization. The Mental Health Association of Orange County offers services to people in the community as a non-profit agency. Outpatient centers are available at Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, and Lake Forest. The Mental Health Association also operates the Homeless Mentally Ill Multi-Service Center and regional Wellness Centers.
211 Orange County is an Orange County organization and hotline that people can call to find access to crisis response services, mental health facilities and specialty mental health care.
Connecting with Mental Healthcare in Irvine, CA
Even though there are many resources available, sometimes the hardest part of connecting with a mental health care provider is knowing where to look and making the initial connection with a provider who works with patients like you. That’s why we created the above therapist directory, with listings of counselors and care providers in Irvine.
The above therapist directory is intended to help consolidate some and list some of the top mental health care providers in the area, and also help you more easily find someone based on their level of expertise and their specialty.
