Parma, Ohio Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health Resources in Parma, Ohio

Located on the southern border of Cleveland, Parma, Ohio is only minutes away from one of the largest cities in Ohio that is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is the birthplace of oil. Parma itself is the seventh largest city in Ohio and has an estimated population of 79,167 people. Since its beginnings, the city has been home to inhabitants with primarily German, Polish, Italian, Slovakian, and Irish backgrounds. In fact, one of the boasted highlights of Parma are the culturally rich Ukrainian Village and Polish Villages. The city also includes The Shoppes at Parma shopping which is a 765,000 square foot shopping center that includes a wide variety of popular shops, restaurants, and other various business.

When it comes to finances, the city of Parma is not faring well in several aspects when compared to the rest of the nation. The median income of the city is $52,611 and the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent   which is worse than both the state and country averages. However, in spite of these statistics, Parma still has a lower population of individuals living below the poverty line at 9.3 percent compared to 14 percent of people living in poverty in the entire state.

Unfortunately, like the rest of Ohio, Parma has many residents who suffer from mental health issues. Notably, 7.9 percent of people under the age of 65 living in the city do not have health insurance, which often results in the mentally ill not seeking or receiving the care they need. Taking a closer look at the issues with mental health in Parma will help in addressing how to better connect people with the resources they need to improve their quality of life.

Mental Health Statistics in Ohio

According to the most recent statistics released by Mental Health in America, Ohio ranks 28^th for the nation when it comes to the prevalence of mental illness and access to care for adults. While the state is faring better than the majority of the country in this aspect, the youth of Ohio rank as the 11^th worst nationally in the same regards. The state also has a prevalence rate of 4.64 percent for adults with serious thoughts of suicide, which is much higher than the rest of the country.

One of Ohio’s most concerning, wide spread mental health issue is substance abuse by both adults and youths. In fact, Ohio has the second highest rate of drug overdose deaths at 39.1 percent, which is over double the national rate. Alcohol accounts for a majority of the state’s substance abuse problems with 20 percent of adults admitting to binge drinking. Ohio is also known for its severe, growing problem with Opioid use which is what causes many of the reported overdoses.

Impact of Not Receiving Treatment in Parma, Ohio

Nationwide, approximately 56.4 percent of adults did not receive care for their mental illness. The state of Ohio had 946,000 adults with mental illness who did not receive treatment.  There are many factors that may contribute to this high number of untreated individuals including:

• limited accessibility
• insufficient knowledge of resources
• a lack of funds, poverty, or homelessness
• no insurance or coverage of services
• avoidance due to the stigma surrounding mental illness

Unfortunately, many of the issues we’ve already discussed are directly impacted by the mentally ill population not receiving treatment including a high unemployment rate, a large number of opioid deaths, increased suicide rates, homelessness, and major substance abuse issues. The city also has a very low college graduate rate with only 20.7 percent of the population having obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Mental Health Resources in Parma, Ohio

Resident living in Parma, Ohio and surrounding areas are not alone in their struggle. There are a large number of resources and groups out there that service a wide range of issues including substance abuse, homelessness, mentally ill youth, suicide prevention, and anxiety and depression. There are also many programs out there designed to assist minority groups and individuals living in poverty to access the resources they need.