Therapists in Westminster , CA and Nearby Locations

Overview of Mental Health in Westminster, California

Located in Orange County, California, Westminster is known as “The City of Progress Built on Pride” and is home to close to 90,000 people according to the 2010 U.S. Census report. Westminster is also known as the unofficial capital of overseas Vietnamese residents who live in an area known as Little Saigon. In the 1980s, many Vietnamese refugees settled in Westminster, creating a community with the country’s highest concentration of Vietnamese Americans.

Westminster is also home to many Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic and Latino citizens. In the last census report, the median household income was just above $50,000, and over 16 percent of the population fell below the poverty line set by the federal government.

The city is landlocked by Garden Grove, Seal Beach, Fountain Valley, and Huntington Beach. As with every other city in Southern California, the population is diverse, and the socio-economic status differs from block to block. Top employers include Walmart, Target, Westminster School District, the Kindred Hospital-Westminster, and the City of Westminster.

Despite average temperatures close to 70 degrees for most of the year and close access to the beaches and sunshine, the people of Westminster deal with the same types of mental illness the rest of the country does. Substance abuse, homelessness, and poverty all contribute to a problem that is common in every community in the United States.

The state of California is currently facing a homelessness crisis that leads to many mental health problems. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development found that 22 percent of all homeless people in the country live in California. This is the largest share by any state in the nation. Studies show that of those living on the streets in California, 39 percent have some type of mental illness. In Orange County, there are close to 5,000 homeless people, a number that has increased every year since 2013.

Mental Health Resources in Westminster, California

According to the Mental Health Association of Orange County, mental illness is defined as a medical condition that affects mood, feeling, thinking, daily functioning, and your ability to relate to other people. Similar to how diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas doesn’t function correctly, mental illness is a brain-based condition that can lead to significant problems if help is not sought at the right time.

One in every 17 Americans deals with some sort of serious mental illness such as bipolar disorder, depression, or schizophrenia. Each year, close to 60 million Americans, or one in four adults, face some type of mental health issue that requires treatment. Sadly, one in every 10 children also have some type of serious emotional or mental disorder.

Westminster also has one of the highest rates of teen harm in Orange County, and risk factors for suicide include mental illness, relationship issues, child abuse, criminal justice, and parental conflict. Teens harm themselves through poisoning, with firearms, piercing and cutting suffocation, and hanging. Treating mental illness quickly and appropriately through therapy and medication when necessary can help lower the incidence of teen harm in any area.

There is a serious challenge in Westminster and Orange County when it comes to finding suitable help for mental health disorders. Since 1995, the population of the state has risen while the mental health treatment facilities have failed to keep up.

The Challenge of Finding a Suitable Therapist in Westminster, California

While treatment centers based around behavioral health, substance abuse, and even spiritual changes are available in Westminster, locating the right place and the right therapist can be an extremely difficult task and one that leads to a hopeless feeling in a population that already struggles to fight discouragement. One of the most difficult things about mental illness is finding the right treatment for you.

Whether you are just dealing with depression and anxiety from a sudden job loss or loss of income or have a more chronic condition that requires constant treatment, therapy can be vital to your success. Despite the lack of mental health resources throughout the county, Westminster is home to a variety of therapists who employ different techniques to help their patients achieve success and improve their quality of life.