Title: Inside America's Psychiatrist Shortage (Special Report)
Headings: Inside America’s Psychiatrist Shortage
Inside America’s Psychiatrist Shortage
An in-depth look at why it’s happening, how bad it is, where it’s worst, and how to find the mental health help you need, despite it
Part 1
The Lack of Psychiatrists: Just One Barrier to Treatment
The Silent Shortage
Mental Health Fall-Out
Finding Help When You Can’t Find a Psychiatrist
Part 2
Can’t Find a Psychiatrist? How About an Advanced Practice Nurse, Physician Assistant or Prescribing Psychologist?
Can They Do What Psychiatrists Can Do?
Is Care Compromised When You Don’t See a Doctor?
Knocking Down Barriers
What Advanced Practice Nurses Can Do for You
What Psychiatric Physician Assistants Can Do for You
What Prescribing Psychologists Can Do for You
Part 3
The Psychiatrist Will See You Now—Virtually
The Health Insurance Gap
How Good Is It?
References:

Content: She may also be aware of other resources, like mental health clinics, group practices that also employ advanced practice nurses or physician assistants with a psychiatry specialty or community health centers. Your primary care provider may also feel comfortable prescribing and monitoring some medications for mental health issues and be able to refer you for other services you’ll need, such as therapy. Some doctors even participate in a new type of mental-health care called collaborative care, where they partner with a psychiatrist or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to provide care in the family doctor’s office. “We know there’s a shortage of mental health professionals in America, so if you live in a community where there simply isn’t a psychiatrist, or you’d have to drive a great distance to see one, or there’s an incredible waitlist for the one or two that are in town, your primary care doctor is a good option,” says Christine Allen, a spokesperson for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “ As part of their training, all doctors have to become familiar with mental health conditions. So, your family doctor will have general knowledge on mental health conditions—their knowledge likely won’t be as deep and rich as a doctor who has specialized in mental illness, but in the absence of a mental health professional, they will be a fine ally for you. Turn to your health insurer but beware of “ ghost” networks. “ Health insurance companies have case managers who can help you find a psychiatrist who accepts your insurance or an advanced practice nurse in psychiatry who practices alone or in a clinic or a doctor’s office,” says Gail Stern, RN, MSN, PMHCNS-BC, president of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. However, be aware that many managed care organizations tout the availability of clinicians in their provider networks, but upon contacting the providers on the lists patients have been know to experience wron