Woodbury, Minnesota Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Woodbury, Minnesota

This suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota is a thriving location with much to do. Woodbury has recently built two large community areas to bring people together and encourage health and wellness. The Health East Sports Center, a huge multiuse sports center, has an indoor field house, an outdoor refrigerated ice-skating rink, two indoor ice arenas, an outdoor splash pad, and 36 outdoor athletic fields. Three local high school hockey teams call this center home. Additionally, Health East Sports Center constructed the first completely handicapped-accessible playground surrounding the Twin Cities that caters to many children who struggle with physical and mental health. Central Park, on the other hand, is a multi-use indoor park that links to the library and the YMCA for activity and education in one place.

Woodbury, Minnesota is a wonderful city to live in or visit. Next to Health East Sports Center and Central Park, Eagle Valley Golf Course offers fun activities, from lessons to golf for couples to leagues. Woodbury also houses several parks, some with pavilions for parties or gatherings and others with water activities along the Mississippi River. Visit the Veterans Memorial for a piece of history honoring those who provided various military services to the United States.

The mental health of those who live in Woodbury is affected by the demographics of the city. Over 50 percent of the 66,699 residents of Woodbury are families with kids under 18. The population is over 75 percent white, with the next most prevalent race being Asian at just under nine percent. The median household income is over 100,000 dollars, and the poverty rate is only 3.3 percent, much lower than the national poverty rate of 12.3 percent. Additionally, Woodbury crime rates are about 20 percent lower than the rest of Minnesota and 30 percent lower than the rest of the country. Residents, students, and employees feel safe and cared for. Mental health struggles and concerns lie beneath this perfect exterior in the form of depression, drugs, and violence.

Psychological Well-Being

In Washington County, where Woodbury is located, over 5 percent of adults report frequent mental distress that lasts at least 14 days. Almost 18 percent of residents reported a need for care for a mental illness in the past 12 months, yet 20 percent of care was delayed due to lack of insurance and an additional 29 percent of care was delayed for some other reason.

Due to the many children in this city, much of the mental health focuses on their well-being.

• Over the last two weeks, over 34 percent of eighth graders report feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.
• Over the last two weeks, about 39 percent of ninth graders report feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.
• Over the last two weeks, over 45 percent of twelfth graders report feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.

Behavioral Health

Alcohol and drug use are mental health concerns among many of the students in Washington County. Over 12 percent of ninth graders drank alcohol in the past 30 days. Over 26 percent of eleventh graders had an alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days. Unfortunately, about 10 percent of eleventh graders report driving after using alcohol or drugs in the last year.

Though the mechanism is not fully known, marijuana use likely precedes illicit drug use, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH). In just ninth grade, over eight percent of students used marijuana in the past 30 days, and the drug also has the lowest perceived risk of harm among same-age students.

Violence

Though Woodbury is a seemingly safe place, students are hurt at school and home, contributing to mental health concerns.

• Over 13 percent of fifth-grade males, 11 percent of eighth-grade males, almost 10 percent of ninth-grade males, and over five percent of eleventh-grade males report physically pushing, shoving, hitting, or kicking someone in the past 30 days.
• Over 11 percent of eighth, ninth, and eleventh-grade students report having been hit, beaten, kicked, or physically hurt by a parent or adult.
• Over 6 percent of eighth, ninth, and eleventh-grade students report having watched their parents or other adults in their home physically hurt one another.