Mental Health Industry in the Northwest Minnesota Economy

By Nate Dorr- nate.dorr@state.mn.us
September 2009

Mental health services is a large and growing industry in Northwest Minnesota offering a variety of employment opportunities. Defining the mental health industry is almost as difficult as defining “green jobs” or “industry clusters.” Mental health disorders vary in intensity and duration and in required treatments. Services that may be required are not just health care and supporting services; they can also include supportive housing and advocacy or career and other counseling. The organizations that provide these services are equally varied – from small firms specializing in a narrow range of diagnoses to large hospitals or service providers for which services supporting mental health are only a very small part of what they do.

Mental Illness

The National Institute of Mental Health found that about one in four adults (26.2 percent) in the United States suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, with a smaller portion suffering from a serious mental illness (6 percent or one in 17) [1]. Those numbers applied to Northwest Minnesota mean that of an estimated 298,710 adults in the region, 78,262 would have a diagnosable mental disorder and 17,923 would have a serious mental illness [2]. Numbers supplied from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Adult Mental Health Division put the number of unduplicated adults receiving mental health services in the region at 16,843 and the number of children receiving services at 7,989 [3].

Counties in Northwest Minnesota that served the most adult and child clients in 2007 were Otter Tail (2,836), Clay (2,632), Beltrami (2,567), Crow Wing (2,377), and Becker (1,859).

People with mental illness may have a tough time staying employed or even finding work. Depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders will often keep job seekers from even seeking employment. Spending time in jail or prison as a result of a mental condition also severely restricts their job search. Once employed, mental health issues may affect performance, team camaraderie, or commitment to the position. Two key features of care for mental illness sufferers include both access to diagnosis and treatment and ongoing support from a positive social network [4].

Facilities

Despite how debilitating mental illness can be, there is a range of supportive services that may be appropriate. While some individuals may need intensive care, spending a short time in a hospital and gradually moving out to supervised group homes, far more people with mental illness require less active care. Periodic visits with a doctor may be complemented by regular group therapy. Working with a job counselor, parole officer, or other human service agent can help individuals find local resources for treatment and support. Many studies highlight the benefits of work for a person’s mental well-being, including the creation of a regular schedule, monetary income, social identity, and a sense of purpose [5], so non-medical support can be essential.

Although many nursing homes and other public or private facilities provide these services to care for people with mental illness, identifying the role of these firms in the industry cannot be accomplished accurately since they also provide other medical services. For this reason, firms specializing only in mental health are listed in Table 1. We can assume many more firms and jobs are tied to the mental health industry. Clearly the best opportunities for working in the mental health field are in residential facilities – either supportive group homes or more medically focused nursing homes. Counties with the most specialized mental health firms in total, using the combination of sectors shown in Table 1, are Crow Wing (27), Clay (27), Beltrami (26) and Otter Tail (21). These counties correspond closely with the number of clients reported by DHS.

Careers in Mental Health

Services for individuals suffering from mental health disorders range from outpatient clinical assessment and treatment to residential services. In Northwest Minnesota these services are provided by 16 different occupational titles (shown in Table 2) that range according to pay from social and human service assistant at a median hourly wage of $11.66 to psychiatrists who earn more than $80 an hour. The requirements for the two positions explain the difference in pay scale. Assistants need a high school degree and receive on-the-job training. Psychiatrists must first earn a medical degree and then specialize in psychiatry. Between these two extremes are many possible occupations listed in Table 2.

The mental health industry relies heavily on occupations such as nurses, direct care professionals, and various specialty careers. The information in Table 2 shows the current employment situation, long-term projections, and median wage for specialty careers only. Most occupations listed in the table require a degree beyond a four-year degree plus some licensure from the state or county. Looking at long-term projections, it’s clear that growth of these specialty occupations will outpace the 9.2 percent projected growth of all occupations in the region between 2006 and 2016.

Total employment is also difficult to quantify definitively. For the self-employed, an estimated 59 mental health practitioners and another 20 physicians specializing in mental health are in the region [6]. From the disclosable data available, total employment in residential mental health facilities was 3,247, while 258 were employed in outpatient mental health centers [7].

Seeking Professional Advice

Personal care is the capstone of the service-based economy. People with patience, personal care skills, and dedication are in demand in the Northwest region and throughout Minnesota. Science and technology-based skills to assess and treat conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to a severe developmental disability are also in demand.

With mental health parity legislation passed and the decreased stigma associated with treatment for chemical dependency and mental health, job opportunities in the mental health field will continue to increase.

For More Information on Mental Health

Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services, Adult Mental Health Division
www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&
RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=id_000085

Minnesota Mental Health Association www.mentalhealthmn.org

End Notes

[1]National Institute of Mental Health report featuring Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27. “Adults” defined as individuals 18 years and older.
[2]Minnesota State Demographer’s Office, 2010 population projection by EDR for ages 20 years old and up.
[3]Mental Health Management Report, Minnesota Department of Human Services-Mental Health Division, Community Mental Health Reporting System, 2007.
[4]Interview with Kathy Kelso, Minnesota Mental Health Association, August 24, 2009.
[5] Mental Health and Work: Impact, Issues, and Good Practices; World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence; 2000
[6]U.S. Census Bureau, Non-Employer Statistics, 2006.
[7]Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 2008, Northwest Planning Area, NAICS 6232 and 62142; other data suppressed.