Round Rock, Texas Therapists

Overview of Mental Health Resources in Round Rock, Texas

Round Rock, Texas is located in central Texas. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States and it’s located primarily in Williamson County, with a bit of the city in Travis County. Round Rock is included as part of the Greater Austin Metro. Round Rock is often named as one of the most livable cities in the country. The city is home to the international headquarters for Dell Technologies.

Round Rock is one of the key areas of strong economic growth in Central Texas. Along with Dell, industries that have a strong presence in the city include clean energy, manufacturing, and life sciences. It’s also an active city with a lot of sports and recreational activities. For example, Round Rock is the home of the Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team Round Rock Express. There is a professional-level disc golf course, and there’s also the Rockin’ River Family Aquatic Center.

Mental Health Concerns in Round Rock

Williamson County, in general, has high health rankings, but according to recent research, it tends to fall behind regarding mental health services. Mental health providers are reportedly saying they see an increased number of patients they work with every year. According to these reports, it has been a struggle to keep up with the needs of all patients.

According to data on MentalHealthTX.org, 1 in 5 adult Texans will experience a mental health concern at some point this year, and over 20% of Texas children ages 9 to 17 have a diagnosed mental illness.

In Round Rock and throughout the Austin metro, there is also a range of substance use and abuse issues that may be problematic because of the location, demographics, and culture of the area according to the Community Impact newspaper. For example, the proximity of Austin to the Mexico border may be one reason that substance abuse is prominent in the area. 1-35, according to experts, is a major drug trafficking route from Mexico into the U.S.

Methamphetamine use has increased since 2013 throughout Texas, and it’s largely because of the availability of the drug and the decrease in prices. It’s also estimated that one in 12 women and one in five men will develop alcohol dependence in their lifetime, and alcohol is the main drug of abuse in Texas.

According to the same report from Community Impact, the number two cause of accidental death in people aged 15 to 45 in the state of Texas is opiate drugs.

Suicide rates in the area including throughout Travis County have been on the rise, which is the case nationwide. On average, every three days a person dies by suicide in Austin. Statistics from 2017 found that suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Millennials in Travis County.

Even when people make appointments for outpatient mental health services in Williamson County and areas in and around Round Rock, there tends to be a very high no-show rate for these appointments. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the no-show rate for behavioral health services is around 30%.

Mental Health Resources in Round Rock

Round Rock public health officials have been working to help make more options available to people who need mental health care and services. For example, there is a Crisis Intervention Team operated by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and a Mobile Crisis Outreach Team provided by Bluebonnet Trails. In Williamson County, the number of patients is 1,190 to 1 provider according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

Williamson County officials are working to provide more accessible mental health care resources, but they say it continues to be a challenge because of the rapid population growth in the area.