Washington, DC, May 4, 2022 – The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) released updated workforce maps illustrating the severe national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists. The maps specifically show the rate of practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 children aged 0-17 years by county and average age of child and adolescent psychiatrists per state.
Previous national studies have substantiated the magnitude of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders in the nation’s children and adolescents. AACAP works to reduce the workforce shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists who are trained to provide specialized mental health care.
- One in 5 US children have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder in a given year.
- Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14 years old, and 75% of mental health disorders begin before age 24.
- In 2020, 1 in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode and suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24.
- Only half of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need.
- There are approximately 10,500 practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists in the United States.
- The national average age of practicing child and adolescent psychiatrists is 52 years.
- Ratios of child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 children range by state from 4 to 65, with a national average of 14 child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 children.*
*Includes Puerto Rico and District of Columbia
For more information about AACAP Workforce Maps, visit AACAP’s website. For questions, please contact AACAP’s Communications Department communications@aacap.org.
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The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are the leading physician authority on children’s mental health. For more information, please visit www.aacap.org
