More people are seeking out mental health care, but psychiatrists are in short supply: 'It's getting worse'
CHICAGO - Medical student Mila Grossman had just begun her first clinical rotation when she started to get an idea of what kind of doctor she wanted to be.
Working at a women's mental health clinic, she met a new mom who appeared put-together but inwardly suffered from painful postpartum depression.
Grossman decided to pursue psychiatry, and is among a growing share of medical students doing the same.
"That opened my eyes to the severity and stigma that really exist," said Grossman, 29, who is set to graduate this year from the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine and enter a psychiatry residency. "I pretty quickly became intrigued by the patients and fascinated by the transformative effects of therapy and psychopharmacology."
Psychiatry's growing popularity as a career choice comes as the nation grapples with a stubborn shortage of psychiatrists that some fear will continue to deepen.
The shortage is most acute in rural areas and poor urban neighborhoods that often aren't the first choice for in-demand doctors with plentiful options, but is also being felt across big cities as the need for mental health professionals outpaces supply.
"We feel it is an emergency," said Marvin Lindsey, CEO of the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, which represents mental
