Psychiatrists' distribution across the 50 states, 1978.
In 1978, both psychiatrists and a nonmedical professional group (lawyers) were more abundant in more populous, urbanized states. Lawyer-population ratios, however, correlated more strongly with the population's wealth; psychiatrist-population ratios correlated more strongly with the percentage of state population with college education and with state-mandated private insurance coverage of psychiatric services (both probable indexes of market demand). Even after controlling for population size and education, state-mandated insurance coverage was significantly related to the abundance of psychiatrist. Moreover, mandating states increased their psychiatrist-population ratios 100% faster after mandating coverage, whereas nonmandating states increased their ratios only 25% faster in comparable periods. While we investigate psychiatrists' geographic distribution, public policy formation can be aided if we also seek better measures of access and barriers to psychiatric care.
D004493:Education; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006783:Hospitals, State; D007341:Insurance / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008484:Medicaid; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011570:Psychiatry; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce