Los Angeles, California Therapists

Guide to Finding Mental Health Professionals in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has the second highest population in the United States, only behind New York City. Los Angeles is considered a hub of commerce and culture in Southern California and the world. The Los Angeles area has a population estimated at around four million people. While the state of California has the fifth-largest economy in the world and Los Angeles is a central part of that economy, some issues plague many people in the area. This is often the case in large cities, and it’s important people feel as if they have resources available to them.

An Overview of Mental Health in Los Angeles

In California and particularly the bigger cities like L.A., there is a significant wealth disparity which can only seem to exacerbate the issues people face in the city. The cost of living in Los Angeles, for example, is significantly above the national average. The price of homes for sale in Los Angeles has gone up nearly 80 percent in the past five years, and the average rent for a one-room apartment is $1,949. That’s almost twice the national average of $977.

The cost of living in Los Angeles is only one part of the equation when looking at the mental health issues people in the city can face. For example, suicide rates in Los Angeles were higher than deaths from drug overdoses and homicide according to a recent report from public health officials. In 2013, 779 people in LA died by suicide.

Substance abuse is a growing problem not just in large cities but throughout the country. In the Los Angeles area, it was estimated that among people aged 12 and older, 15.4 percent of the population reported illicit drug use. A report from the federal government found that in the Los Angeles area, there were 892,000 people aged 12 and older classified as having a substance use disorder. 5.4 percent of adults aged 18 or older in the city and surrounding metro area said they had experienced a major depressive episode in the past year.

Relationship difficulties can occur either as the result of mental health issues, or they can contribute to these challenges. It’s estimated that anywhere from 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the U.S. divorce, based on information from the American Psychological Association. The divorce rate in California is estimated to be significantly above the national average at around 60 percent.

While nearly 78 percent of the population in Los Angeles County has a high school degree, only around 30.8 percent of people have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The rate of people in poverty in Los Angeles County is more than 16 percent.

All of these factors can contribute to an increased need for people in Los Angeles to be able to connect with mental health care resources.

Mental Health Resources in Los Angeles

While everything from a high cost of living to substance abuse can be problematic in California and specifically Los Angeles, there are resources available. For example, the Mental Health Services Act was implemented in California, which helped improve access to better mental health care for people in the state. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health is also the largest county-operated mental health department in the U.S.

The County works with organizations and private practitioners to provide services to more than 250,000 every year.

There is a higher number of licensed psychologists along the areas of the Pacific coast, including Los Angeles, as compared to more rural or suburban areas. There are also more licensed psychologists in urban areas including Los Angeles, which does make it easier for people to connect with care providers when they need to. In the Western Pacific region of the country, the mean number of licensed psychologists per county is more than 103.7. This compares to the mean number for the U.S., which is 33.5. There are several clinics found throughout Los Angeles that serve the mental health needs of residents, some of which are publicly operated and others which are private.

The Importance of Finding a Los Angeles Therapist

While there may be high rates of issues ranging from divorce to substance abuse in Los Angeles, there are also many licensed therapists and mental health care practitioners in the area as well. People who live in Los Angeles have access to both public and private resources. They can also utilize a directory of therapists to help them find a practitioner who specializes in the needs they may have.