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February 8, 2005
Written by: NAO BRAVERMAN
If you think Disneyland is the only happy place on earth,
guess again.
A recent study by University of California , Berkeley
's School of Public Health shows residents of Calaveras
and Tuolumne counties are among the happiest in the state.
The two foothills counties, along with 16 more of California
's 58 counties, ranked highest in areas of well-being
in California .
In the UC survey, 55,428 adults statewide answered questions
about their feelings of sadness, lack of energy, limitations
on work due to emotional problems, and perceived need
for mental health treatment.
According to the
survey, the lowest-ranking — and therefore,
presumably, unhappiest — counties are San Francisco and
Alameda .
Orange County , Disneyland's home, ranks high on the
happiness survey, but not as high as Tuolumne and Calaveras.
With the passage of Proposition 63 in the November election,
results of the analysis may interest policy makers. The
proposition allocates revenue from a 1 percent tax on
the income of residents making $1 million or more to
mental health services.
Fourteen of the 18 counties that ranked high in mental
health and well-being are rural and mountainous.
Some residents here attribute the general well being
to the friendly atmosphere of small towns.
"People like us who live in the ranch areas have
better mental health because we are a small community," said
Ted Mantzouranis who has lived in Tuolumne County all
his life. "People are friendlier in a smaller community."
"People live at a slower pace, they're more laid
back, so people are happier" added Robin Mantzouranis.
But Bea Readel, director of Mental Health in Tuolumne
County , doesn't agree.
"There is a tremendous amount of need for mental
health care in Tuolumne County compared to other parts
of California ," Readel said.
While the study shows that rural, mountainous areas
rank high in mental health and well being, Readel believes
that this shows more about how people in the region responded
to the survey and less about their mental state.
"In mountain and rural areas, there's a lot of
pride in individuals taking care of their own and being
able to do good work," Readel said. "There
is also a lot of stigma around mental health disorders,
which could affect how people filled out surveys in the
region. We don't have the message out there yet that
mental health disorders are no-fault diseases."
Tuolumne County provides mental health, alcohol and
drug addiction treatment services under contract with
a private firm, Kings View. There is still a need for
more funds, Readel said.
Some residents believe Tuolumne and Calaveras counties
are happy places because of their environments regardless
of the counties' mental health care programs.
"It's easy to escape here", said Jessica Gunsell,
who was born and raised in Calaveras County . "You
can be calm and serene which helps people's states of
mental health."
"Noise, poverty and pollution are less prevalent
in a small community like ours" said David Reber,
who grew up in Sonora . "It helps people's well-being." |
