In underserved Hays County, Scheib Center works to undo mental health care stigma

According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in five Americans will be affected by a mental illness at some point in their life, but a lack of resources, education and the stigma surrounding receiving treatment can prevent people from reaching out for help. The Scheib Center in San Marcos aims to remove roadblocks in the path of people accessing treatment.

According to a 2016 Seton Medical Center Hays community health needs assessment, Hays County has fewer mental health providers per capita than the state and national average. In 2015 data showed Hays County had 86 providers per 100,000 people, less than half of the national average. According to the same study, nearly 20 percent of Hays County residents were uninsured, making them even more vulnerable to the mental health care shortage.

The Scheib Center was founded in 1971 through a gift from the Scheib family to provide services to people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. About 30 years later, the Scheib Center partnered with the Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Centers to provide services for people without insurance.

“As the local mental health authority, we are able to provide services to somebody who maybe doesn’t have insurance coverage or access to mental health services,” said Laura Carpenter, the mobile crisis outreach team supervisor at the center.

The Scheib Center serves more than 700 patients, more than a fifth of whom are children.

Through the center, patients are able to receive treatments for afflictions, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Patients are able see a psychiatrist, receive medications, and access counseling services and peer support groups, among other services.

As of 2015, Hays County had 86 providers per 100,000 people. The state average is 96.7 providers, and the national average is 189 providers.

Source: 2016 Seton Medical Center Hays Community Health Needs Assessment
“Symptoms of mental illness can impact your ability to function, your activities and daily living, and your ability to support yourself independently in the community,” Carpenter said. “If we can help provide a treatment to reduce the impact of those symptoms to improve their functioning, people can be able to maintain employment, their independence, and they’re able to be successful in living with mental illness.”

Patients who are employed pay a sliding-scale fee based on income, and those who are unemployed must provide a letter of support from whomever is providing financial support. The center accepts Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurances.

Despite the Scheib Center offering these resources, the stigma of a mental illness often discourages people from seeking help, Carpenter said.

“Sometimes that’s the hardest step for someone, to even come in the front door, overcoming that stigma. As a society, mental illness is viewed different than physical illness,” she said. “Mental illness is invisible. Society as a whole is very quick to say, ‘You need to get better. You just need to get over this.’”

In Hays County in 2015, there was one full-time psychiatrist for every 21,460 residents.

Source: 2016 Seton Medical Center Hays Community Health Needs Assessment

But research studies show mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, Carpenter said.

“The brain is a pretty important part of the body,” she said. “If you’re struggling with depression, those chemical imbalances really can impact your functioning.”

However, some people worry they will not be accepted by friends and family if they have a mental illness, or they are hesitant to address their condition out of fear they will have to receive treatment for the rest of their life. Neither is true in most cases, Carpenter said.

Average uninsured rate in 2015

United States: 16 percent
Texas: 24.3 percent
Hays County: 18.9 percent

“By providing education, we help reduce that stigma,” she said. “We show it’s okay to talk about mental illness and recovery and treatment. It shows that there is hope.”