Psychiatrists not so affected by brain drain, as demand rises in crisis
The brain drain that has pushed more than 18,000 doctors to leave Greece in the hope of a better future abroad appears not to have affected psychiatrists, recent data from Eurostat indicate.
According to the European Union’s statistical service (using 2016 figures), Greece has the fourth largest number of psychiatrists in the bloc in relation to its population, with 22.9 per 100,000 residents.
This puts Greece alongside France and The Netherlands, and behind Germany (27.3/100,000), Finland (23.6/100,000) and Sweden (23.2/100,000).
In 2014, in contrast, Greece had 21.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 residents and ranked seventh among its EU peers.
According to head of the Hellenic Psychiatric Association, Dimitris Ploumpidis, demand for psychological support has also increased since the start of the crisis.
“This rise mainly concerns people dealing with anxiety disorders and mild depression, or who come to us for advice on how to deal with certain situations mainly as a result of financial constraints,” he said.
