Patients who have a need for medication and psychotherapy are experiencing difficulty finding a psychiatrist who offers both services. A 2008 study titled, “National Trends in Psychotherapy by Office-Based Psychiatrists,” published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, examines this issue. The researchers analyzed data from a national survey of office-based psychiatrists. And the results? “Psychotherapy was provided in 5597 of 14,108 visits (34.0% [weighted]) sampled during a 10-year period. The percentage of visits involving psychotherapy declined from 44.4% in 1996-1997 to 28.9% in 2004-2005 (P < .001)…At the practice level, the decrease in providing psychotherapy corresponded with a decline in the number of psychiatrists who provided psychotherapy to all of their patients from 19.1% in 1996-1997 to 10.8% in 2004-2005 (P = .001).”
The Bottom Line: There are significantly fewer psychiatrists providing both psychotherapy and medication treatment to their patients.
Dr. Tanay Korkosz
Dr. Jeffrey Speller
Psychopharmacology Associates of New England
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