Lyndhurst, NJ, Nov. 9, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perhaps Woody Allen’s neurotic New Yorker characters aren’t too far off from the real thing.
Of the 14 million searches for psychiatrists on Vitals this year alone, just over 2 million have come from users in New York state - a rate that is 67 times higher than the per state search average. But what’s more astonishing is that 90% of New York state searches - or 1.8 million searches - have come from New York City residents.
Vitals users find a doctor by searching for a particular doctor’s name, or by a condition, symptom or a physician’s specialty. Vitals analyzed how many users chose ‘Psychiatrist’ in their ‘Find a Doctor’ tool and the location of each user’s IP address to determine which state researched psychiatrists the most.
But why are residents of the Big Apple more apt to seek psychiatric help?
Dr. Dale Archer, a board-certified psychiatrist and nationally syndicated columnist, believes stress is the main contributing factor to a disproportionate number of New Yorker City residents searching for psychiatrists. "Stress is a direct cause of psychiatric issues," said Archer.
Splitting his time between his clinic in Louisiana and consulting engagements in New York City, Archer has a distinct perspective on the pace of life in the city as compared to other parts of the country. "Everything is tougher, faster, more intense in New York City," said Archer.
Archer explained that "psychiatric issues are a combination of genetics and life circumstance." New York City residents face unique difficulties like the highest cost of living in the nation, as reported by the US Census Bureau Cost of Living Index 2010. The stress that accompanies that "can tip someone over into a psychological issue," if a genetic predisposition is already present, according to Archer.
However, stress is not the only factor causing people in New York City to search for psychiatrists in droves. Archer believes that it’s also an issue of city residents being more knowledgeable and internet savvy. According to Archer, "more urban centers have a higher education level" which would suggest that New York City residents are more aware of healthcare resources and tools like Vitals that help them seek out a provider.
Archer’s theory is bolstered by the US Census Bureau American Community Survey of 2009. New York state is listed as having the 2nd highest number of residents with a graduate or professional degree behind California, which ranked 2nd in our list of states searching for psychiatrists.
Below are the top five states searching for ‘psychiatrist’ on Vitals in 2011:
1. New York - over 2 million
2. California - over 1.7 million
3. Texas - nearly 1 million
4. Florida - over 800 thousand
5. New Jersey - nearly 600 thousand
Visit www.vitals.com for more information or to find a psychiatrist near you.
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About Vitals
Vitals empowers consumers with the tools and services they need to take charge of their health. Vitals is the only website dedicated to helping patients find doctors that meet their needs, request appointments and prepare for their visit with our condition-specific Patient Guides. Used by over 9 million people each month, Vitals makes it easy for patients to find and connect with quality medical care.