National Trends in Inpatient Psychiatric Bed Supply, 2011 to 2023
Karen Shen, Mark Olfson, Adam Sacarny
Abstract
While most mental health care is delivered in outpatient settings, patients in crisis may require inpatient psychiatric care. In the US, patients receive this care in freestanding psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units of general hospitals. However, there are ongoing concerns that demand for inpatient beds has outpaced supply. Psychiatric patients are disproportionately boarded in emergency departments,1 and many general hospitals have closed psychiatric units.2 Yet, there are signs of concurrently increasing for-profit activity, particularly expansions of large for-profit hospital chains.3-5 While for-profit entry may alleviate access problems, it may also exacerbate concerns about safety and quality of care.4,6 However, there is limited research on recent trends in psychiatric bed supply, including trends in large for-profit chains.
Citation
Shen K, Olfson M, Sacarny A. National Trends in Inpatient Psychiatric Bed Supply, 2011 to 2023. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025;82(11):1152–1153. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.2230