A new Merritt Hawkins report delivers details on the psychiatrist shortage that continues to affect hospitals and patients in California and the U.S.

The following executive summary provides an overview. Available here is the complete, 17-page report.

Merritt Hawkins is a HASC Endorsed Business Partner. Learn more about the firm: www.merritthawkins.com.

A Lack of Emphasis

The lack of emphasis given to the shortage of psychiatrists is partially rooted in pervasive stigmas about mental illness. Those suffering from depression and other forms of mental illness are frequently reluctant to discuss their problems, and are often reluctant to seek treatment. While the symptoms of those with heart, lung, orthopedic or other physiological problems typically are readily apparent, the symptoms of those with psychological problems often are not.

In addition, mental illnesses generally cannot be addressed through medical procedures, but only made manageable through long-term treatment with drugs and/or therapy. Hospitals and clinics tend to be procedure oriented, a “cleaner” form of medicine, where the appropriate surgery/intervention is performed, and the next patient is addressed.

As a rule, mental health problems in the United States, their causes, cures and those who suffer from them, aren’t fully considered.

For these reasons, Merritt Hawkins refers to the dearth of psychiatrists as “the silent shortage.”

Key Findings

• Nineteen percent of the U.S. population (43 million people) experience mental illness in a given year, with only 41 percent (17.6 million) receiving needed health services. Among adults with a serious mental illnesses, less than two-thirds received psychiatric services in the past year.
• An alarmingly high suicide rate exists among U.S. military veterans. This has placed additional focus on the need for psychiatric services for this population. According to the Veterans’ Administration, the risk for suicide was 22 percent higher among veterans when compared to U.S. non-veteran adults.
• Behavioral health crises consume a growing volume of ED resources. A “lack of access to psychiatric services stands out among all other medical diagnoses, averaging up to 23 hours for some dispositions,” the National Council Medical Director Institute underlines in another report. “The resulting extended waits… can reduce access in the ED for more acute medical presentations and lead to poorer outcomes for psychiatric patients.”

Contact:
Kimberly Johnson
(213) 538-0772
kjohnson@hasc.org