In wake of Friday’s Sandy Hook tragedy that left 27 people dead, mental health is once again a hot topic across the country.
Kare 11 News spoke with Dr. S. Charles Schulz, M.D., professor and head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, about the general lack of available care for people battling mental health issues.
“We have a shortage in (patients) getting an appointment. We have a shortage in getting a bed (in a mental health hospital wing), shortage of day treatment programs,” said Schulz. “It is really a big crisis and takes a long time for people to get the treatment they need.”
People are sometimes shipped to places hours away due to the shortage, which is a major concern.
Luckily, medical students at the U are choosing a psychiatry specialty despite the downward national trend.
“We have been pleased the last 3-4 years to be about twice the national average of med students going to psychiatry here at the University of Minnesota,” said Schulz.
In the News: Karen Lawson, M.D., featured in Global Advances in Health and Medicine