Schenectady, New York Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Schenectady, New York

The county seat of Schenectady County, New York, Schenectady is home to around 65,000 people. Home of New York’s First Historic District, visitors can visit the Central Park Rose Garden and see amazing Broadway shows at Proctors Theater in Schenectady.

The city has a much lower median household income than the state. New York’s median income is close to $63,000, while Schenectady’s is only $38,795. The average household size is 2.4 and the city’s percentage of family households is 54.9 percent, which is almost ten percent lower than the state’s. 21 percent of the residents of Schenectady live in poverty.

The city is made up of 50 percent white residents, 19 percent African American residents, 12 percent Hispanics, and small percentages of Asians, American Indians, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, and other races. The cost of living in Schenectady is 106.3, higher than the national average. This is complicated by the fact that the city has a lower-than-average median household income, making it hard for many residents to make ends meet.

Just over 84 percent of residents graduated from high school and did some college work, while almost 20 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The unemployment rate is set at eight percent, while the unemployment rate throughout the country sits close to four percent.

The divorce rate is lower than the national average at 11 percent. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of married couples will divorce at some point.

The average crime rate for the United States is 273.3, and Schenectady’s is much higher at 433.6. While crime rates have fallen over the last 15 years, they have remained significantly higher than the rest of the country when it comes to crimes such as arson, auto thefts, theft, assault, robbery, rape and murder.

The most common industries in Schenectady are retail trade, manufacturing, educational services, food services and accommodation, warehousing and transportation, public administration and scientific, professional and technical services. Most residents are employed in jobs such as administrative and office support, production occupations, maintenance, installation and repair occupations, sales, management, material moving and food preparation and serving.

Mental Health Resources in Schenectady, New York

Just like any other city, Schenectady has its share of residents who struggle with mental illness. According to the APA, one in five adults in the United States deals with some form of mental illness, and just over four percent of Americans have a serious mental illness. There are many forms that mental illness can come in, and millions of people go untreated each year because of the stigma attached to mental health problems and the shortage of care facilities.

Mental Health America defines mental illness as a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in behavior and/or thought. This results in the inability of the person to cope and deal with the normal routines and demands of life. Some mental illnesses are situational and may be due to factors in your life such as a divorce, a job loss or a death of a loved one. Others are more chronic and are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

In Schenectady, New York, the county provides mental health services for adults, children and adolescents. Both crisis/inpatient services and adult outpatient mental health services are available at Ellis Hospital. The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides an advocacy and self-help group for those who have a child, spouse, friend or other relative who is struggling with a mental illness.

Mental illness is different in everyone. Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse and ADHD are just a few examples of the illnesses that the people of Schenectady deal with daily. One vital part of keeping the residents healthy, both mentally and physically, is ensuring that resources are available, affordable and easy to find.