Psychiatrists warn that Spain needs at least 1,850 more professionals in the coming years to meet the demands in Mental Health

Psychiatrists raise their voices to denounce the “serious situation” that Mental Health is experiencing today in Spain, with an increase in demand for care and a deficit of professionals that is expected to be even greater in the coming years. “Immediate measures are needed,” claims Manuel Martín Carrasco, president of the Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SEPSM), who this Wednesday presented the White Paper on Psychiatry in Spain to the General Council of Official Medical Associations, a document that aims to “provide real data on the current situation of Psychiatry in Spain” that allow decisions to be made and “improve Mental Health”.

According to this report of more than 150 pages, a total of 4,393 psychiatrists currently work in the public Mental Health care network, which means a ratio of 9.27 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants (11.5 if psychiatrists in training). This figure, the psychiatrists denounce, is far from the 28 professionals per 100,000 inhabitants that exist in Germany, the 26 in Norway, the 23 in France or the 22 in Austria and Sweden.. “It is not even close to the 14 in Portugal or the 15 in Denmark, which have the ratio that the WHO considers acceptable,” says Martín Carrasco.

This deficiency, he adds, could widen in the coming years if measures are not taken. “It is estimated that 20.8% of psychiatrists who are currently active are over 60 years of age,” says the president of the SEPSM. Of these, 6.7% are over 65 years of age, so around 1,000 professionals are expected to retire in the coming years, which would make the deficit worsen significantly.

“We need between 370 and 565 psychiatrists to join each year for the next five years, keeping the number of specialists in training constant, in order to reach optimal ratios of between 13 and 15 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants in the next five years,” he said in a statement Celso Arango, former president of the SEPSM and the person in charge of the organization in 2021, when the preparation of the document began.

“A replacement rate is needed above that achieved with the people who are currently being trained,” adds Martín Carrasco, who stresses that it must also be taken into account that “we are living in a time of increased demand for care “, which further complicates the situation.

According to data from the Society, 29% of the Spanish population suffers from a more or less serious mental disorder.

In addition, he adds, the crisis in Primary Care also contributes to worsen the problem. “The connection between Primary Care and Mental Health is very important to detect cases and refer them correctly when necessary and that is also failing.”

Inequity in access to Psychiatry

The report, on the other hand, also denounces “the serious problems of inequity” that exist in access to Mental Health in Spain. Depending on the Autonomous Community in which one lives, it is more or less easy to receive psychiatric care when it is needed.

According to the White Paper, the Basque Country and Catalonia have optimal ratios, with 15 and 13.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.. However, in Melilla (4.7), Ceuta (5.9), the Valencian Community (5.9), Andalusia (6.2), Extremadura (6.8) or La Rioja (6.9) “access It's a lot more complicated.”

“Without a doubt, Mental Health has been for years the 'poor sister' of Public Health.. It is estimated that the average expenditure in this area is around 5%, while we know that the impact of Mental Health on health is around 12%, the deficit is very important”, underlines Martín Carrasco.

“Immediate measures” are needed to address the problem both “in the short, medium and long term,” he says.

Thus, “it is not only necessary to increase MIR training places”, but also to establish the necessary mechanisms to ensure that psychiatrists delay their retirement age and return to Spain Spanish psychiatrists who are working abroad”. In this sense, Martín Carrasco, claims “the appropriate conditions are created for this, improving salary conditions, allowing access to stable positions, with conditions that allow conciliation and flexibility, etc.”

“We are in a very delicate situation, with an increase in demand and a decrease in the number of professionals. Immediate measures are needed,” concludes the president of the SEPSM.