Los Angeles is an exciting city known for its glamour, Hollywood history, and much more. However, many people still struggle with their mental health in this city. At LGBTQ AND ALL, we offer a mental resources database that can help anyone looking for a qualified mental health professional in the area.
This article will provide some information about mental health assistance for people living in Los Angeles, California. It will also offer LGBTQ+ and mental health facts and resources.
Top Features in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is famous for its Hollywood entertainment industry, ethnic and cultural diversity, and extensive metropolitan area. In addition, Los Angeles is known for its idyllic Mediterranean climate and deserts. It lies within a basin located in Southern California, beside the Pacific Ocean, and has massive mountains that go as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
Fun Facts About Los Angeles
Los Angeles has many distinctions, like being the world’s entertainment capital and featuring more than 100 museums, some of the highest caliber spaces worldwide. There are also many popular tourist attractions like the Walk of Fame, which boasts more than 2,614 Hollywood stars and continues to grow. In addition, it is the only city in North America that has hosted the Summer Olympics twice. In 2028, it will have hosted them three times.
Los Angeles is also the land of career opportunities, with over 23,000 art and tech jobs in various industries. In addition, it is the country’s top artistic center, even surpassing New York. Los Angeles has a more significant concentration and amount of artists that work there. The L.A. five-county area is also a central tech hub, with more than 700,000 people employed in the health services and biomedical field and 190,000 people working in aerospace.
Downtown L.A. also contains the most extensive government center outside of Washington, D.C. In addition, this city has one of the only remaining wooden lighthouses in the state, in San Pedro’s Fermin Park. Another attraction in L.A. is the most prominent historical theatre district on the National Register of Historic Places.
History/Data
The area that became Los Angeles was home to the Chumash and Tongva. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo also claimed it in 1542 for Spain.
The city was founded in September of 1781, in the village of Yaanga under Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. In 1821, it became a part of Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence.
Quick Facts According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries; TNS Global Travels America Survey; CIC Research:
Demonym(s): Los Angeleno, Angeleno
Domestic Visitors to L.A. County: 42.5 million
International Visitors to L.A. County: 7.5 million
Total Visitor Direct Spending: 23.9 billion
Total Economic Impact: 36.6 billion
LGBTQ+ Facts
A Gallup survey of more than 374,000 people asked, “Do you personally identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender?” It focused on the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., including the L.A. area, and discovered that the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area ranked eighth for America’s 50 largest metro areas, with 4.6% of its residents identifying as LGBTQ+. Gallup then updated their survey in 2020, which increased to 5.6%.
According to the data from the most recent U.S. Census information in 2019 for Los Angeles County’s adult population, about 361,873 adult residents of the county identify as LGBTQ+. In addition, a 2012 report by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health approximates that about 14,428 county residents identify as transgender.
The U.S. Census has also given estimates for households with unmarried same-sex partners. In 2019, that number came to 15,606. This estimate comprised around half the census count of same-sex partner households surveyed in the 2010 Census (32,704). In addition, 25% of these 32,704 same-sex households had children under 18.
Mental Health in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is one of the worst cities in the entire country for poor mental health outcomes.
A recent study on people’s mental health across the United States concluded that Los Angeles is the fifth-worst city for overall mental health (L.A. scored 7.5 out of 100).
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint why people from Los Angeles have such bad mental health compared to the residents of other U.S. cities, a couple of crucial pieces of information may provide some insight:
High Rates of Depression
First, Los Angeles has some of the highest rates of depression in the United States, with approximately 30% of individuals reporting feeling depressed. The only other cities in the country with higher rates of depression are Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno, Oklahoma City, Tucson, and Fort Worth.
High Percentages of Suicidal Thoughts
Los Angeles also is high on the list of cities that have increased percentages of suicidal thoughts. In fact, L.A. inhabitants have the highest rates of suicidal thoughts in the U.S., with 5% admitting to “having thoughts that they would be better off dead.”
Many Residents Feel Exhausted
To make matters worse, Los Angeles locals more often “consistently feel tired” or “have low energy.” More than half of L.A. residents report feeling this way. These reported numbers might explain the city’s high depression rates, as there are well-established links between poor sleep quality and depression and/or anxiety.
Resources
Even though Los Angeles is one of the worst cities in the country for mental health, many resources are available to those in L.A. who struggle with mental health issues.
To discover resources relevant to your mental health situation (or someone you know), our listings on LGBTQ and All can be beneficial for improving anyone’s mental health.
If you are a healthcare provider working with clients who experience mental health problems, adding your name to our register can help you access clients. Please visit https://www.lgbtqandall.com/add-your-business/ if you want to add your business and practice to our database. We provide convenient options, like your first month free and then an affordable price of $19.99/monthly after your trial. You have the flexibility to cancel your subscription at any time. Our FAQ page has more information about these subscriptions.
