Population Of US Practicing Psychiatrists Declined, 2003-13, Which May Help Explain Poor Access To Mental Health Care

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Psychiatry Workforce Studies

Background:

• Mental illness affects a significant portion of the US population.
• Limited access to mental health services may stem from insufficient psychiatrist availability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in the supply of psychiatrists from 2003 to 2013.
• To compare these trends with changes in the supply of primary care physicians and neurologists.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of physician supply data.
• Examination of practicing psychiatrist numbers per 100,000 residents in hospital referral regions.
• Longitudinal study covering the period 2003-2013.

Main Results:

• The number of practicing psychiatrists slightly declined from 37,968 to 37,889.
• This represented a 10.2% reduction in the median number of psychiatrists per 100,000 residents.
• In contrast, the supply of primary care physicians and neurologists increased during the same period.

Conclusions:

• The declining psychiatrist supply may contribute to reported difficulties in accessing mental health care.
• Further research is needed on the impact of this trend and on innovative care models.
• Investigating integrated mental health-primary care and team-based care approaches is recommended for severe mental illnesses.