At a time when the need for mental health care is growing, there is a growing shortage of psychiatrists. In many parts of the country, psychiatrists are few and far between and people who need one must travel long distances for an appointment.
Federal health authorities have designated about 4,000 areas in the U.S. as having a shortage of mental health professionals; having more than 30,000 people per psychiatrist.
The number of psychiatrists is not keeping up with population growth or with the need for mental health care. The number of physicians in the United States increased by 45% from 1995 to 2013, but the number of psychiatrists rose by only 12%, according to the American Medical Association. During that time period, the population grew by about 37% and millions more Americans became eligible for mental health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
To add to the problem, 59% of psychiatrists are age 55 or older, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, which means that many may soon be retiring or taking fewer patients.
According to an Associated Press article, reasons for the shortage and the lack of younger psychiatrists includes the perception that psychiatrists do not earn as much as those in other medical specialties. Government data shows that psychiatrists have an average annual wage of $182,700, below that for general practitioners and 28% below that for surgeons.
One idea to help the problem is to promote the use of long-distance telemedicine in psychiatry, where the doctor and patient speak and see each other by computer. Several states, including South Carolina, North Carolina, and Michigan, have implemented telepsychiatry programs.
In Texas, lawmakers recently voted to pay the student loans of psychiatrists willing to work in underserved areas. A bill in Congress would forgive student loans for child psychiatrists. To help meet the needs of veterans, Congress enacted a bill offering financial incentives to psychiatrists who agree to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Another strategy is for mental health specialists to work collaboratively with other health care providers. There are ongoing efforts to ensure that primary-care physicians have solid training in mental health, so they can handle some straightforward cases themselves and make proper referrals for more complex cases.