North Richland Hills, Texas Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in North Richland Hills, Texas

North Richland Hills is a ritzy part of Texas that is just as swanky as its name suggests. It is home to 70,441 individuals, the majority of which are 37.2 years of age. The city is a suburb of Dallas Fort Worth and has been voted as one of the top 100 cities in which to live multiple times. AreaVibes gave the suburb an overall livability rating of 91, making it one of the top 100 cities in the USA and the top 100 medium cities. From the outside, North Richland Hills looks like the ideal place to live, and even its numbers, which you can explore in the next section, suggest that it is. However, does the wealth and glamour characterized by the city put its residents at risk of behavioral disorders?

North Richland Hills at a Glance

The median household income in North Richland Hills was $65,340 in 2017, according to the United States Census Bureau. This number is significantly greater than the national median household income, the state’s median household income, and surrounding counties. The median income per capita is 33.278. The poverty rate in the suburb is a low 7.7%.

The wage-gender disparity is alive and well in North Richland Hills. Males earned, on average, $64,027. Women in similar roles and of similar experience levels earned almost $20,000 less, at $45,764. Wage distribution in general is also less even in the city compared to the national average.

The top three most common occupations in North Richland Hills are administrative, management, and sales. The most common industries are healthcare, retail trade, and educational services.

According to AreaVibes, the cost of living in North Richland Hills is higher than the national average, thereby earning a C rating. Everything from groceries to healthcare to utilities is more expensive in this area than in Texas or the United States. The only item that falls below the national index is housing. That said, with a housing index of 92, it is still significantly more expensive to buy a home in North Richland Hills than anywhere else in the state, which earned a rating of 83.

Factors That May Contribute to Mental Illness

At a glance, North Richland Hills may seem like a place in which mental disorders are minimal. However, the suburb is characterized by several factors that are often associated with a diminished state of mental health. The most surprising factor is one you may not expect: wealth.

According to a 2014 Berkeley study of more than 600 men and women, one’s perceived social status, or lack thereof, is associated with a wide range of mental disorders. Just as deflated feelings of self-worth are associated with a host of mental issues, so too is inflated self-worth. The study found that inflated feelings of self-worth are associated with narcissistic personality disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. Individuals who have high levels of pride, as wealthy people often do, show higher rates of mania than those with limited or a reasonable amount of resources.

Wealth isn’t the only factor that may contribute to the area’s mental health issues. Some other factors one must consider are as follows:

• Wage Disparity: The wage disparity between men and women is nothing new, but that doesn’t make it healthy. Countless studies suggest that the gender wage gap contributes to high feelings of anxiety, depression, and a low sense of self-worth among women. The mean number of depressive disorders for working females is twice that of working males.
• Industry and Occupation: Mental illness is a major concern in the healthcare industry, North Richlands Hills’ number one industry. Because of odd and prolonged work hours, emotional labor, psychological distress, and other factors, healthcare workers are at an increased risk for mood, anxiety, sleep, and other psychiatric disorders. Retail has also been ranked as one of the top three industries in which mental health disturbances are most common.

The number one occupation in North Richland Hills is administrative. Office workers demonstrate higher levels of anxiety and depression than non-office workers.

• Excessive Drinking: Tarrant County’s excessive drinking prevalence rate is 18.7%, one of the highest values in all of Texas. Excessive drinking is associated with depression, anxiety, mood disorders, job loss, and other adverse health conditions.