Estimated distribution of effort by providers of mental health services to U.S. adults in 1982 and 1983.

A national sample of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and primary care physicians responded to a survey of their professional activities. From these data, the authors estimate that during a representative 60-day period, 6.7% of U.S. adults visited one of these types of professionals for a mental or emotional condition. All four groups spent the largest portion of their time with nonpsychotic patients. Most patients with schizophrenia, mania, or major depression were treated by psychiatrists. Services from primary care physicians were usually provided in the context of a concurrent physical condition. Psychologists and social workers tended to treat the less severe mental and emotional conditions.