Tinley Park, Illinois Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Tinley Park, Illinois

Tinley Park, Illinois is one of Chicago’s fastest-growing suburbs and was considered one of the best places in America to raise a family by BusinessWeek in 2017. Research shows that it is also one of the 50 safest places in America. Tourists come to the area for easy access to recreational activities, great shopping, superb dining, cultural opportunities, and entertainment options.

The population of Tinley Park has grown 18.3 percent since 2000 and is now close to 60,000 people. The estimated median household income is almost $20,000 higher than the state’s at $80,222. Home values are higher in the city than in the rest of the state. The population is broken down like this:

• White: 80.8 percent
• Hispanic: 9.4 percent
• Black: 3.8 percent
• Asian: 3.8 percent
• Two or more races: 1.4 percent

There is also a small percentage of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders along with American Indians in Tinley Park, Illinois. The cost of living index in the city is 102.4, just above the average in the rest of the country, which is 100.

As stated previously, Tinley Park is an incredibly safe place to live. The crime index is 85.0, while the United States average is 280.5. Since 2002, crime has been on a steady decline and there are 1.31 officers for every 1,000 residents in the city.

The city of Illinois has an unemployment rate of 5.1 percent, while Tinley Park is at 4.1 percent. The country overall has hit a 50-year low at 4.0 percent, and Tinley Park is closely in line with that. With low unemployment rates and an average cost of living, residents live a fairly comfortable, successful life.

In Tinley Park, 8.1 percent of residents live in poverty. For residents over 25 years of age, 94 percent graduated from high school or had some higher education, while 34.2 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Of the residents over the age of 15, 30 percent have never been married, 52.4 percent are married, and 9.5 percent are divorced.

The state of Illinois has hit somewhat of a mental health crisis over the last few decades, with a $113.7 million cut in mental health care funding. This means that between 2009 and 2012, psychiatric visits to local hospitals increased by 19 percent and Cook County Jail became the state’s largest mental health provider. Experts believe there is a serious problem when a correctional facility is most likely to provide mental health services to a community.

Statistics show that close to 5 million adults in Illinois have poor mental health. 434,000 of those live with a serious mental illness and 2.1 million live with a diagnosable mental illness.

Mental Health Resources in Tinley Park, Illinois

For every 100,000 people in Tinley Park, there are 203 mental health professionals. The largest group of individuals with healthcare coverage in the city for males are aged 6-17 and females aged 25-34. Lack of health insurance is one reason that many people go without mental health treatment when they need it.

One Tinley Park mental health center is set to become a senior community, but residents still have access to treatment through the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Chicago and other local treatment centers. Those with mental illnesses such as bipolar affective disorder, anxiety, depression, dementia, schizophrenia, or other psychoses exist in Tinley Park despite it being one of the safest, most successful cities in Illinois.

Mental illness does not discriminate, although poverty, lack of education, genetic factors and substance abuse can complicate the issue. Because of this, all residents must have access to mental health treatment as often as possible. Some conditions will come on during a difficult time in your life, while others are more chronic and may last throughout your life. Regardless of what you are struggling with, seeking help is vital to staying healthy, both physically and mentally.