Psychiatric services : a journal of the American Psychiatric Association
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This analysis quantified and assessed the projected workforce of psychiatrists in the United States through 2050 on the basis of population data. ⋯ Because of steady population growth and the retirement of more than half the current workforce, the psychiatrist workforce will continue to contract through 2024 if no interventions are implemented, leading to a significant shortage of psychiatrists. Despite an expected workforce expansion beginning in 2025, it is unclear whether the shortage will completely resolve by 2050. Future research should focus on developing strategies to address this quantified shortage in an effort to curb the worsening shortage through 2024 and over the coming decades.