Question

Shortage of psychiatrist and lack of mental health resources

Please add references

Answer 1

Ans) Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, a 2017 report from the physician search firm Merritt Hawkins, states that, "The shortage of psychiatrists is an escalating crisis … of more severity than shortages faced in virtually any other specialty."

- There are many reasons for the supply of mental health professionals falling short & lack of mental health resources.

- "Historically, the demand [for treatment] has not been as strong due to higher levels of stigma and lower rates of treatment being sought,". With demand now growing as the social stigma lessens, "The supply has not caught up yet," he says. Also, there is a perception that inadequate pay is discouraging some students from choosing mental health fields as a specialty.

- All of these challenges are daunting – but not insurmountable. Many mental health care organizationsare hard at work addressing these issues in order to create more providers and offer more and better access to care to address the ever-growing mental and behavioral health needs in the U.S.

- In the United States, nearly one in five people has some sort of mental health condition. And the disease burden of mental health and substance use disorders was higher than for any other condition.

- It affects people's ability to work, build relationships, and contribute to their communities.

- A number of factors fuel the shortage, including a greater awareness of mental health problems that has spurred people to seek treatment. Also, mental health providers frequently arereimbursed less than physical health providers, a 2017 report notes, leaving institutions sometimes struggling to cover salaries. And then there’s a retirement drain: More than 60% of practicing psychiatrists are over the age of 55—one of the highest proportions among all specialties, AAMC 2015 data indicate.