Houston, Texas. – Last year, 1 in 5 women in the United States experienced a mental illness, according to psychiatry.org.
According to Houston’s understanding, women experience worse mental health days than men in both Texas and the nine-county Houston metropolitan area.
A Houston-area mother pointed a gun at herself after shooting her 6-year-old daughter Tuesday, investigators said.
In October 2022, authorities announced that 37-year-old Melissa Towne confessed to stabbing and strangling her 5-year-old daughter to death in a park.
Heather Timmis, Clinical Director of Nick Finnegan Counseling Center, said:
Signs that someone may be suffering include irrational beliefs and thoughts that hurt others.
“What you’re really looking for is is there a big change in behavior? What are they saying? You’re totally noticing the pattern,” says Timmis.
Towne was reportedly institutionalized at least nine times.
Investigators said the mother of Tuesday’s tragic murder-suicide was suffering from depression.
Timmis adds that isolation and lack of support are bigger problems in Texas when it comes to mental illness. When people reach out, they don’t always know where to go.
According to Houston’s understanding, Texas is at the bottom of the national rankings for access to mental health care, and Houston area residents have significantly less access to mental health care providers than the national average.
To flip the script, Timis said he had to do better.
“Whether it’s an educational program or continuing education resources, how can we get more training,” says Timmis.
If you need help or know someone to help, the following resources are available in the Houston area.
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