title: Population Of US Practicing Psychiatrists Declined, 2003-13, Which May Help Explain Poor Access To Mental Health Care.
abstract: A large proportion of the US population suffers from mental illness. Limited access to psychiatrists may be a contributor to the underuse of mental health services. We studied changes in the supply of psychiatrists from 2003 to 2013, compared to changes in the supply of primary care physicians and neurologists. During this period the number of practicing psychiatrists declined from 37,968 to 37,889, which represented a 10.2 percent reduction in the median number of psychiatrists per 100,000 residents in hospital referral regions. In contrast, the numbers of primary care physicians and neurologists grew during the study period. These findings may help explain why patients report poor access to mental health care. Future research should explore the impact of the declining psychiatrist supply on patients and investigate new models of care that seek to integrate mental health and primary care or use team-based care that combines the services of psychiatrists and nonphysician providers for individuals with severe mental illnesses.
authors.affiliation: Tara F. Bishop (tlfernan@med.cornell.edu) is an associate professor of health policy and research (courtesy) at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City.
authors.forename: Tara F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.affiliation: Joanna K. Seirup is a research data analyst in health care policy and research at Weill Cornell Medical College.
authors.forename: Joanna K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Seirup
authors.affiliation: Harold Alan Pincus is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and director of quality and outcomes research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, both in New York City.
authors.forename: Harold Alan
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Pincus
authors.affiliation: Joseph S. Ross is an associate professor of internal medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine, in New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000639:trends*; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011570:Psychiatry; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014481:United States
keywords: Access To Care; Mental Health/Substance Abuse; Physicians; Workforce Issues