New Haven, Connecticut Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in New Haven, Connecticut

Famous for Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut is consistently named one of the Best Places to Live and one of the Best Places to Retire by the U.S. News and World Report.

New Haven is a coastal metropolis just A80 miles from New York City. Commuter trains on the Metro-North Railroad run between New Haven and the famous Grand Central Station multiple times a day, allowing some New Haven area residents to regularly visit or even work in New York City. The smooth train ride takes approximately 108 minutes each way, and often has passengers reading or listening to music with their headphones and preferred mobile devices during their weekday commutes.

While New Haven is picturesque (especially in the fall and spring) and offers a rich cultural and educational atmosphere for residents and visitors alike, mental illnesses affect people everywhere. Fortunately, Yale University and other facilities offer high-quality treatment options for people with everything from depression to schizophrenia.

Poverty and Mental Illness in New Haven, Connecticut

As of July 2017, New Haven had 131,014 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. While New Haven’s annual median income level is $38,216, nearly 26% of New Haven residents live in poverty. This is more than twice as high as the U.S. average of 12.3%, and nearly three times higher than Connecticut’s average of 9.6%.

Poverty and mental illness have a multifaceted relationship, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). People who live in poverty often experience more severe symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Mental illness does not discriminate depending upon one’s income level; the day-to-day tasks of life can and do worsen symptoms among people from all social and economic classes. However, people in poverty often struggle to obtain or maintain food, affordable housing, and appropriate healthcare. Such struggles combined with a mental illness can make it much more difficult for someone to comply with treatment even when it is offered.

Poverty also makes it more probable that a person will experience a serious mental illness, according to SAMHSA. It is also worth noting that everyone — regardless of educational or socioeconomic background — has an increased risk of eventually living in poverty once symptoms of a mental illness are present.

Mental Health Statistics for New Haven, Connecticut

According to a report from the American Psychological Association, the entire state of Connecticut has nearly 2,100 active psychologists. Generally, a large number of active psychologists and other mental health professionals indicates that mental illness is prevalent throughout that state; this is clearly the case for Connecticut.

According to SAMHSA’s Connecticut Behavioral Health Barometer for 2015, the state has mental illness prevalence rates that are lower than the national average. Connecticut’s percentage of major depressive episodes among children ages 12-17 in 2013-2014 was 9.7% — somewhat lower than the U.S. average of 11% for the same period. The national and state averages for serious mental illnesses among adults for the same period showed a similar trend at 3.5% and 4.2%, respectively.

Mental Health Resources for New Haven, Connecticut

A SAMHSA online search engine lists 19 facilities in New Haven that offer inpatient and outpatient mental health services for children and adults. New Haven has 21 facilities that focus on substance abuse treatment.

It appears that some New Haven residents may visit neighboring cities such as West Haven (approximately two miles away) and Hamden (approximately three miles away) for their mental health treatment. SAMSHA lists four additional mental health treatment options in West Haven and six additional choices in Hamden. There are also 38 options in Fairfield, Branford, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and other communities within a five-to-20-mile radius of New Haven.

Some of the inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment services available in New Haven and other parts of Connecticut offer low-cost or free treatment to people with low income and/or no insurance. It is always worth asking for payment options, especially when visiting a center in which multiple counselors, therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists work.

Challenges of Finding a Suitable Therapist in New Haven, Connecticut

This website is dedicated to helping people in New Haven, Connecticut 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.