In the U.S., 77% of counties with a shortage of mental healthcare providers and universities have been drawing upon psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs to fill that gap, NC Health News reported March 18.
Here are five things to know:
1. A 2022 American Psychiatric Nurses Association report found that psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner programs have nearly doubled in the past eight years.
2. As of 2022, more than 130,000 psychiatric mental health nurses practice in the U.S.
3. Rural areas struggle the most with mental healthcare worker staffing, often due to low compensation. Few psychiatric mental health nurses worked in rural areas in 2020 and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated more than 500,000 additional psychiatric mental health nurses were needed to reach adequate access.
4. A North Carolina biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2023 found that one-third of middle and high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless, and about 20% had seriously considered suicide. However, only 41% of youth with a major depressive episode received treatment.
5. The shortage of mental health services has been exacerbated by rural hospitals that have had to end inpatient care. Moreover, many rural hospitals are at risk of going under.
