Timothy Schmutte is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. In his private practice he focuses on children and teens with a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and OCD, and the challenges of people over 50 like grief, job loss, and coping with severe illness.
Tim often works with his wife, Elenee Argentinis, to create mental health content. Elenee has a law degree, and has worked in the life sciences industry for more than 20 years. Together, they are raising 2 high school-aged boys in Westport.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Tim and Elenee are helping “06880” readers understand mental health, from several angles. This is their first piece.
Most of us think of Westport as one of the most idyllic communities in the country. With picturesque beaches, downtown boutiques and winding tree-lined roads, Westport seems like the perfect place to live.
When it comes to mental health, at first blush it seems to be true.
In “The State of Mental Health in America,” created by the organization Mental Health America, Connecticut ranks as the state with the lowest rates of mental illness and substance abuse in youth and adults.
Dr. Timothy Schmutte
Local data is hard to come by. But the 2024 Westport Youth Survey conducted by Positive Directions also reports some good news. Rates of teen substance abuse in Westport have decreased since the pandemic. Use of tobacco, alcohol, vaping, marijuana and abuse of prescription drugs have all declined since 2021.
But as with most things, the devil is in the details. The last Westport 2025 Equity Report published by DataHaven raised several key issues related to mental health.
For example, 1/3 of all Westport families are cost-burdened by home ownership; economic stress can contribute to mental illness.
In the western Connecticut community of municipalities that includes Westport, rates of anxiety and depression are highest in adults 18-34 (20% and 18%).
Westport high school seniors’ use of alcohol (38%) is much higher than the national average (24%), and 23% of all Westport High schoolers reported gambling.
Data at the state level suggests that up to 30% of high school students have felt sad or hopeless daily for more than 2 weeks within the last year. 12% have considered attempting suicide, and about 6% tried.
Elenee Argentinis
What does all this mean? Mental illness, from addiction (e.g., drugs, alcohol, vaping, gambling and screen time) to mood disorders (anxiety, anger and depression) and other unhealthy behaviors are still problems for our community.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. To emphasize the importance of mental health in Westport we writing “Mental Health Matters,” a short series exploring mental health in our community by looking at teens, parents and older adults.
Our goal is to raise awareness about the unique mental health challenges each group faces, as well as how to recognize them and get help.
Mental Health Awareness month was established in 1949 by the National Association for Mental Health (now called Mental Health America), after passage of the 1946 Mental Health Act and the end of World War II, with a wave of soldiers affected by the war.
Before these milestones, mental illness came with shame, stigma and often maltreatment of patients in mental institutions.
Connecticut played an important role in destigmatizing mental illness, and in mental health care reform.
Clifford Beers, born in New Haven in 1876, led mental health care reform here. A Yale graduate, he suffered maltreatment and abuse in Connecticut mental institutions during episodes of depression and paranoia.
He published “A Mind That Found Itself,” recounting his abuse. He founded the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene (renamed Mental Health Connecticut) and the National Committee for Mental Hygiene (now Mental Health America). He founded the first outpatient mental health clinic the United States, the Clifford Beers Clinic, in 1913.
Here in Westport, we had 2 mental health facilities. The Westport Sanitorium was located at the corner of Post Road East and Compo Road North (now Winslow Park), in the former mansion of State Senator Richard Henry Winslow. beginning in 1891.
Westport Sanitarium, at the corner of Post Road East and Compo Road North.
Nine years later, McFarland’s Sanitorium was opened on Long Lots Road. It become Hall-Brooke Hospital, and absorbed into St. Vincent’s Medical Center. It was acquired by Hartford Healthcare in 2019.
Part of Hall-Brooke Hospital, on Long Lots Road.
It’s difficult to get a precise read on the number of mental health care providers in Westport. But Healthgrades notes upwards of 600 practitioners and over 200 psychiatrists in Fairfield County.
Yet many practices are booked, and waitlists are months long.
Cost is another issue. Many practitioners in our area take “private pay” only, because insurance companies reimburse too little, and limit the number of sessions they cover.
So thank goodness for Mental Health Awareness Month. We’ve come a long way in recognizing and caring for mental illness.
But we’ve still got a long way to go.
In our next article, we’ll talk about teen mental health. Until then: Be well.