Naperville, Illinois Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Naperville Illinois

Finding an easy to relate to a mental health professional can be a challenging process regardless of where you reside. Naperville Illinois has its challenges much like any other city in the nation. Fortunately, there are over 500 trained professionals in Naperville ready and willing to walk with you through some of your most trying times.

With a city population of almost 146,000, Naperville is part of the much larger CJN (Chicago – Joliet – Naperville) metro area with an estimated population of just over 9.5 million residents. The city is known as one of the most educated and affluent parts of Illinois and has been voted one of the best places to retire in the U.S.

Mental Health Statistics for Naperville

Mental health means having a life worth living and living a productive and meaningful life. Meeting your goals, seeing hopes and dreams fulfilled, and having a variety of interests also help you achieve mental health. Naperville is like many other places in the nation that suffer from mental illness issues. Naperville seems to be right in line with the rest of the state, and nation when it comes to mental health issues.

According to a national survey on drug use and mental health, in the past year, Naperville had 9.2 percent of persons 12 and older classified as having a substance use disorder. Just 6.1 percent of the population had experienced a major mental illness issue in the past year. Again, these numbers fall in line with the rest of the state and nation.

What Makes Mental Health Different in Naperville?

Mental health awareness is changing. Not just in Naperville but in Illinois. The median household income in Naperville is just $116,482 compared to $60,960 for the state of Illinois.

• There is an established link between financial distress and mental illness even if money doesn’t doesn’t appear to be a problem in your area.
• Just 87 percent of the population lives in poverty.
• 8 percent of ER visits are for mental disorders. Anxiety, panic attacks, and acute reactions to stress are chief complaints.
• The death rate in Dupage County by suicide is 1%.

Divorce Rate in Naperville

With the median age being 38.5, the divorce rate in Naperville is relatively low at 6.1 percent. Studies show that getting married later in life can lead to healthier marriages. Also possibly accounting for the low divorce rate is the level of education in the city. Nearly 70 percent of the population has a degree, with 31 percent of those having a professional or graduate degree. Additionally, the unemployment rate is just 2.8 percent.

A healthy dose of marriage support specialists may also account for the low divorce rate. More than 160 marriage counselors serve Naperville which might be why the divorce rate is significantly lower than the national average of 50 percent.

Mental Health Resources in Naperville

There are more than 500 mental health professionals in Naperville. Illinois is noted as having a shortage of licensed professionals available, but that doesn’t seem to affect the Naperville area much. With a therapist-to-population ratio of 292:1, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a counselor accepting new patients. The ratio is much lower than the national average and well below the national minimum threshold for patient-to-therapist ratios.

Challenges of Finding a Therapist in Naperville

Though there are hundreds of mental health professionals easily found online, many of them have social reviews attached to their profiles, making them all seem like the ideal choice. Review sites such as Google Pages Pages, Yelp and the like all offer social reviews based on a previous patient’s experience making it hard to decide which one is right for you and your condition.

Medical providers, health insurance companies, and local clinics all offer referrals. Even if you find someone in your network, you’ll still have to fill out paperwork, get approvals, and wait for the next available appointment. All of this is done before you get a chance to meet the person you’ll be working with to see if they are a good match.