There were around 90,000 psychiatrists in the European Union (EU) in 2015, and most of them practiced in countries such as Germany, France, and the UK.

Romania, however, was among the EU Member States with the lowest number of psychiatrist per million inhabitants, according to data from Eurostat. The country had only 106 psychiatrists per million inhabitants, similar to Spain.

Eight member states had more than 200 psychiatrists per million inhabitants, namely Finland – 236, Sweden – 232, The Netherlands – 230, France – 228, Lithuania and Luxembourg – both 225, Germany – 223, and Greece – 219.

On the other hand, nine countries had fewer than 150 psychiatrists per million inhabitants. The lowest rate was recorded in Bulgaria – 76, followed by Poland – 90, Malta – 95, Spain and Romania – both 106, Cyprus – 112, Portugal – 120, Slovenia – 128, and the Czech Republic – 146.

The data was released on October 10 – World Mental Health Day. Mental and behavioral disorders killed 183,500 people in the EU in 2014, the large majority (87%) due to dementia. Women accounted for around two-thirds of these deaths, according to Eurostat.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com