Physicians specializing in psychiatry of Mexico: An update 2018

Abstract

Introduction.In 2016, there were 4,393 psychiatrists in Mexico, with an estimated rate of 3.68 per 100,000 inhabitants. It is essential to keep this information updated in order to achieve the overall objectives of mental health care. Objective. Estimate the total number of psychiatrists and paidopsychiatrists in Mexico in 2018; identify their geographical distribution, and compare the results with those obtained in 2011 and 2016. Method. Comparative, longitudinal study. Various sources were consulted to update the number of psychiatrists and paidopsychiatrists in 2018 and to determine their sociodemographic characteristics. These characteristics were compared with those found in 2011 and 2016. Results. A total of 4,999 specialists in psychiatry practiced their specialty in Mexico in 2018, 365 of whom are child and adolescent psychiatrists. A rate of 3.71 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants was obtained for a population of 124,737,789. Regarding pedopsychiatric specialists, if we consider a population of 37,714,991 inhabitants under 16, the corresponding rate is .96 child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 minors. These specialists are unevenly distributed throughout the country. Approximately 60% of all psychiatrists and child and adolescent psychiatrists practice in the three largest cities in Mexico. Discussion and conclusion. Although the national rate of psychiatrists was increased in comparison with 2016, it is still lower than that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The geographical distribution of psychiatrists is uneven due to centralization and economic factors as happens in many countries in the world.

Collaborative care for depression and suicide prevention: a feasible intervention within the Mexican health system

“…There are 3.71 psychiatrists per 100 000 habitants centralized in the three main states of the country. 15 Only above 50% of psychiatrists work in the public health sector and mainly at psychiatric hospitals, resulting in limited specialized human resources within general hospitals and almost non-existent in primary health care. 16 Differently from other countries, Mexico's general practitioners (GP's), who are the basis of primary health care and are in direct contact with the population, have only a medical degree, with only 11.4% having a threeyear specialization in family medicine.…”

Comparing the hospital anxiety and depression scale to the Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale for identifying cases of major depressive disorder in advanced cancer palliative patients

“…For instruments which seek to screen for cases, such as the instruments evaluated in this study, it is of particular interest to the researcher to identify as many potentially depressed patients as possible (high sensitivity), with a high negative predictive value, given the impact of the underdiagnosed disease on several cancer-related outcomes, including quality of life and survival. Patients who are not timely diagnosed are unable to access treatment by a field expert in mental health, and this in turn will negatively impact quality of life, intensity of physical symptoms, treatment compliance, wishes to hasten death, and overall survival (Lloyd-Williams et al, 2004; Kroenke et al, 2010; Pinquart and Duberstein, 2010, p. 7; Arrieta et al, 2013; Wilson et al, 2016) This recommendation could help achieve the World Health Organization goals for mental health in our country (Heinze et al, 2019). Better performance by BEDS considering the item alignment with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria is a possibility, though considering the fact that DSM-5 is the current gold standard that is not, in our consideration, particularly limiting, as we are seeking a tool which can better screen, and this alignment might work towards this goal.…”

Community mental health care in Mexico: a regional perspective from a mid-income country

“…This example reflects the reality of Mexico, in which the distribution of human resources and mental health care are centralized in the main cities and a large population is left at a disadvantage. It should be noted that, in our study, only mental health workers who work in the public sector were counted, excluding those in the private sector, which is why there is such a marked difference in the rates reported in this study compared with what was published by Heinze et al [8].…”

“…Other obstacles are the lack of trained personnel in health centers, but also the lack of financial resources for the transportation to the nearest health center [7]. Regarding the number of specialized human resources, in Mexico, the rate of psychiatrists is 3.71 and 2.23 psychiatric nurses per 100,000 inhabitants [8], while the recommended rate of psychiatrists is 5.0 per 100,000 inhabitants [9,10]. In addition, the distribution of specialized mental health personnel is uneven throughout the country, with a higher concentration in large cities and very few or almost none in rural areas and marginal states of the country [11].…”