Santa Monica is a beautiful beachfront city located in Los Angeles County, California. Boasting a population of 89,736 as of the last census, Santa Monica features mild weather year-round, beautiful beaches, and some of the best restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options in the world within a few minutes drive.
Although Santa Monica is the land of sun, great weather, and affluent citizens, the city as a whole suffers at a much higher rate than the national average with conditions like stress, anxiety and depression. In fact, just recently the city of Santa Monica commissioned a 1-million dollar study in attempt to document the cause of why the city -- as a whole -- remains unhappy due to so many favorable conditions. According to the real estate blog, Movoto, Santa Monica was ranked number two overall on its list of America's most stressed-out suburbs. The study cited the high average cost of living, population density, high cost of living, and the high rate of homelessness as reasons for the overall unhappiness within the city. Other websites attribute things like traffic, crowded beaches and dining/entertainment options, and the overall unhealthy body image that living in a place in close proximity to Hollywood has a tendency to generate. All of these factors lead to some of the unhappiest people in the United States.
The two most common mental health issues in Santa Monica are stress/anxiety and depression. Let's take a closer look at both.
Stress/Anxiety: Stress is defined as a feeling of emotional or physical tension. A trigger such as monetary issues, health problems, or just a general unhappiness with your overall living conditions often brings on this feeling. Anxiety is often related to stress, but on its own it is defined as a feeling of fear, worry or overall unease. The source of anxiety symptoms is unknown but much like stress the feelings are brought on by triggers that generate a physical and mental response. Symptoms of stress and anxiety are often similar, and could include: increased heart rate, rapid breathing, dizziness, sweating, trembling, dry mouth, trouble swallowing or frequent need to urinate.
Depression: An estimated 19 million American's live with depression or depression-related symptoms. Santa Monica features rates that are well above the national averages per capita. Depression is defined as a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in things that you were previously interested in or that had brought joy to your life. It affects your overall well-being and can often lead to serious problems such as suicide if left untreated.
Luckily for the citizens of Santa Monica, TherapyTribe has access to numerous mental health professionals that are both qualified and available to treat a wide array of mental illnesses. Finding a therapist in your area is as simple as browsing our list of available therapists, and setting an initial appointment with the mental health professional of your choosing.
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