Fort Bend County men died by suicide more than twice as often as women in 2020, based on data from the 2022 Community Health Assessment.
These statistics contributed to mental health becoming one of five public health priorities for the county.
The action taken
The Fort Bend County Health and Human Services Department developed two objectives through its Community Health Improvement Plan that aim to improve the state of mental health for its residents.
- By 2026, Fort Bend County officials aim to increase the number of providers to one for every 985 residents. Currently, there is one provider for every 1,210 residents.
- By 2025, county officials also plan to decrease the number of poor mental health days per month reported by adults—which is 3.6 days per month.
County officials also developed a mental health task force and suggested several strategies toward the success of its stated goals.
By the numbers
Mental health was the second most common health concern for CHA survey respondents. The assessment revealed several issues facing residents of the county.
- About one in five, or 19% of respondents, selected mental health as one of the top three health concerns for their community.
- 14% of survey participants said they or a family member could not access mental health services in the past year when they needed it.
- 46% of participants said mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, have at least been a minor problem in their household during the past 12 months.
- One in three survey respondents said mental health services are missing in the community.
Zooming in
Femi Olukoya is a licensed psychotherapist and owner of the Katy-founded mental health practice Sandcastle Psych, LLC.
Since September 2022, Olukoya has worked alongside men’s wellness nonprofit groups to host free, biweekly group therapy sessions for Black men, indigenous men and other men of color.
Olukoya said societal norms paint men’s emotional expression as a liability within the workplace, household or among friends.
“Overall, [men] don't feel like there's an actual, genuine safe place for them to be vulnerable, and that leads to holding things in,” Olukoya said. “There's so much pressure; there's so many other things that fall on top of men.”
This social trend could impact statistics that show men are more likely to commit suicide, Olukoya said.
Quote of note
“My experience when I talk to my clients that are men [is] mainly that nobody wants to hear it. Nobody really wants [them] to talk about it,” Olukoya said. “Even if we do, it's like, 'OK, what are you going to do about it,' instead of holding space for them to actually be vulnerable or taken care of.”
What the experts say
To immediately impact an individual's mental and behavioral health, Olukoya suggested developing at least four healthy coping skills.
There are both active and passive coping skills, Olukoya said. Active coping skills are actions you take to calm down when you’ve been triggered, he said. Passive coping skills are typically for mental health maintenance—such as going for a run, listening to music or traveling.
“Some of them may seem generic, but I definitely encourage people to modify to fit them,” Olukoya said. “Find your coping skill and build on it. Find something that you love to do and reset.”
Femi Olukoya is a licensed psychotherapist and owner of the Katy-founded mental health practice Sandcastle Psych, LLC.
Since September 2022, Olukoya has worked alongside men’s wellness nonprofit groups to host free, biweekly group therapy sessions for Black men, indigenous men and other men of color.
Olukoya said societal norms paint men’s emotional expression as a liability within the workplace, household or among friends.
“Overall, [men] don't feel like there's an actual, genuine safe place for them to be vulnerable, and that leads to holding things in,” Olukoya said. “There's so much pressure; there's so many other things that fall on top of men.”
This social trend could impact statistics that show men are more likely to commit suicide, Olukoya said.
Quote of note
“My experience when I talk to my clients that are men [is] mainly that nobody wants to hear it. Nobody really wants [them] to talk about it,” Olukoya said. “Even if we do, it's like, 'OK, what are you going to do about it,' instead of holding space for them to actually be vulnerable or taken care of.”
What the experts say
To immediately impact an individual's mental and behavioral health, Olukoya suggested developing at least four healthy coping skills.
There are both active and passive coping skills, Olukoya said. Active coping skills are actions you take to calm down when you’ve been triggered, he said. Passive coping skills are typically for mental health maintenance—such as going for a run, listening to music or traveling.
“Some of them may seem generic, but I definitely encourage people to modify to fit them,” Olukoya said. “Find your coping skill and build on it. Find something that you love to do and reset.”
