Despite an increase in child psychiatrists, 1 in 5 youths still live in areas without them

There has been a historical shortage of child psychiatrists in the U.S., but new data reveal that even though there are more specialists now, more than 20% of children still live in counties without them. Between 2007-2016, the number of child psychiatrists in the U.S. grew by about 21%. At the same time, six states — including Idaho and Kansas — saw a decline in the ratio of child psychiatrists, and more than 75% of counties across the U.S. saw no change in the number of such specialists, largely because they had no such professionals in 2007 or a decade later. In a related commentary, an expert writes that instead of solely focusing on increasing the number of child psychiatrists, strategies for expanding care could also look at better utilizing mental health specialists already on the job.