19% of adults in Travis County report poor mental health

We have adequate nutrition and achieve and maintain optimal physical and behavioral health.

Indicator: % of adults in Travis County who report 5 or more poor mental health days within the past month

Significance of Indicator: The United States Department of Health and Human Services states that good mental health is essential to overall health and personal well-being. It also contributes to the ability to lead a healthy, balanced, and productive life. Emotional problems can impair a person's thinking, feelings, and behavior and, over time, can become increasingly serious and disabling.

what the data tell us

From 2007–2009, 19% of adults in Travis County reported poor mental health. This is comparable to the entire State of Texas where the rate of poor mental health was also 19% for that same time period.

% Reporting 5 or More Poor Mental Health Days within the Past Month

Definition: Adults who report to have had ≥ 5 days of poor mental health which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, within the last 30 days. Three year data aggregates.

Data Source: Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Data Considerations: The BRFSS samples only adults who live in households with telephone landlines. Households without a landline are, on average, younger and/or have lower comes. Data was aggregated by the Austin Travis County Health and Human Services Department.

The Story Behind the indicator

In general, people in the Austin region who earn less than $25,000 a year are more likely to report poor mental health than people with higher incomes. Highly vulnerable adult populations that struggle with behavioral health issues include people in the Travis County jail with serious mental health issues, those that are admitted to psychiatric facilities multiple times in a month, people who present to emergency rooms for substance abuse issues, and people admitted to various behavioral health facilities who have housing instability. Children and youth in our community also struggle with mental health issues. One indicator of poor mental health in children is disciplinary removals from classrooms. Experts report that this is the greatest predictor for a child's future criminal activity. Other child and youth mental health issues of concern in our community are students reporting sadness or depression and suicide rates. To learn more about the story behind the mental health in our community, click here.

Some local efforts to improve this indicator

Austin Travis County Integral Care's mission is to improve the lives of people affected by behavioral health and developmental and/or intellectual challenges.
The Mayor's Mental Health Task Force, the Behavioral Health Planning Partnership, and the Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership are local collaborations that help coordinate behavioral health planning needs.

A Closer look at the story behind the indicators

Since 2003, a higher percentage of people earning less than $25,000 a year in the Austin region have reported five or more poor mental health days within the past month than people with higher incomes. From 2006-2009, the percentage of people with low-incomes reporting poor mental health increased from 24% to 47%.

% Reporting 5 or More Poor Mental Health Days within the Past Month by Income

Definition: Adults who report to have had ≥ 5 days of poor mental health which includes stress, depression, and problems with emotions, within the last 30 days

Data Source: Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Data Considerations: The BRFSS samples only adults who live in households with telephone landlines. Households without a landline are, on average, younger and/or have lower incomes. Small sample sizes for MSA level data may contribute to fluctuations in local obesity trends.

In 2006, more than eight percent of people booked into the Travis County jail were identified as having serious mental illness. Nationally, 7-8% of jail bookings are identified as having serious mental illness. The Mental Health Task Force reports that Travis County's higher rate could be due to effective mental illness assessment processes and limited access to behavioral health resources in our community.

Definition: % people booked into the Travis County jail that were identified as having schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder

Data Source: Mental Health Task Force

Data Considerations: This data is not directly comparable to data from other years as the mental illness assessment processes at the Travis County Jail have been greatly revised
over time. It is possible that not all people who were booked into the Travis County jail that had serious mental illness were identified as having serious mental illness.

% of Individuals with Serious Mental Illness in Jail

A study conducted by the Mental Health Task Force in 2009-2010, found that there were 238 readmissions to publicly funded psychiatric hospital beds within 30 days of discharge in Travis County. While there were 235 readmissions, only 137 unique individuals were readmitted. Most of the individuals who were readmitted had housing instability and one in five reported criminal justice system involvement.

Readmissions to Publicly Funded Psychiatric Hospital Beds within 30 Days of Discharge

Definition: # of people readmitted to publicly funded psychiatric hospital beds within 30 days of discharge at Austin Lakes, Seton Shoal Creek, and the Austin State Hospital

Data Source: Mental Health Task Force

Data Considerations: The study period for this data was between September 1, 2009 and May 1, 2010. Some individuals were readmitted multiple times during the study period.

Disciplinary rates have steadily declined over the past five school years within the Austin Independent School District (AISD). AISD has lower disciplinary rates than the Hays and Pflugerville school districts, but higher disciplinary rates than the Round Rock and Leander school districts. This indicator can also be found on the following dashboards: Mental Health Task Force, Ready by 21, and Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership.

Definition: % of students who experienced disciplinary action that resulted in their removal from the regular classroom for at least one day

Data Source: Texas Education Agency

Data Considerations: Students removed from the classroom may experience one or more of the following disciplinary actions: inschool suspension, home-school suspension, expulsion, juvenile justice alternative education programs, or disciplinary alternative education programs.

% of Students with Disciplinary Actions that Resulted in Removal from Classrooms

While there is no measure of sad, unhappy, or depressed youth in our community, AISD surveys students on their ability to cope with stress and negative emotions. In 2010, 15% of both middle and high school students reported that their ability to cope with stress or negative emotions is poor or very poor. This indicator can also be found on the Ready by 21 and Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership dashboards.

Definition: % of students reporting that their ability to cope with stress or negative emotions is poor or very poor

Data Source: Austin Independent School District, Student Substance Use and Safety Surveys, 2009-2010

Data Considerations: A high percentage of students responding to the survey report that they "don't know" how good their ability is to cope with stress and negative emotions. The data reported in this survey is not directly comparable to data reported for other demographic regions.

Travis County had a higher rate of suicides among youths aged 15-24 than the State in 2006 and 2007. This indicator can also be found on the Ready by 21 and Child and Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership dashboards.

Definition: The number per 100,000 of completed suicides for youths ages 15-24

Data Source: Texas Department of State Health Services

Data Considerations: A postvention study by the Austin ISD and the Travis County Suicide Prevention Coalition notes that Travis County has had two youth suicide clusters in the past 10 years. The majority of the teen suicide deaths in clusters were in Northwest, West or Southwest Austin areas.