US Counties Hit Hard by a Lack of Psychiatric Care

Medscape September 14, 2023
Pauline Anderson

TOPLINE:

In 2020, US counties that were without psychiatric care or broadband coverage had significantly more drug overdose deaths and completed suicides compared to other counties, new research shows.

METHODOLOGY:

In the US, there is a severe lack of psychiatrists and access to mental health care. In 2019, 21.3 million US residents were without broadband access. These patients were forced either to use telephone consultation or to not use telehealth services at all, although use of telehealth during COVID-19 somewhat improved access to psychiatric care.

For the study, researchers gathered sociodemographic and other county-level information from the American Community Survey. They also used data on the psychiatrist workforce from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Area Health Resources Files.

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