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When a psychiatrist compares his office to a bus station, you know something's up. The New York Times has an eye-opening piece about how psychiatrists today mainly prescribe medications and don't have time to talk to patients anymore. Dr. Donald Levin, the centerpiece of the story, keeps telling patients that if they need to delve into their problems, they should see a therapist. Unfortunately, with rigid health insurance structures and limited access to care, that's not always possible.

And given that research has shown that mental health care is best given as a combination of talk therapy and medication, that's a big problem, notes Carol Bernstein, president of the American Psychiatric Association, in a letter to the New York Times.

At the same that psychiatry moves away from an all-encompassing approach to treatment, psychiatric problems are on the rise in the United States.

A recent survey of 11 countries found that the United States has the highest rate of bipolar disorder, at 4.4%, Health.com reported via CNN.com. Eating disorders are more prevalent among teens than previously thought, Bloomberg Business Week says, reporting on a study from Monday's Archives of General Psychiatry. This research also found that teens with eating disorders have a higher likelihood of suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems, the Los Angeles Times reports. Clearly, there is a real, critical need for good mental health care.

But people with these disorders who have deep-seated problems that they want to discuss may have a hard time scheduling that conversation with the same person who prescribes the medication they need. And the psychiatrists aren't saying that's a good thing, either. Levin laments that he doesn't have time to get to know his patients well at all; he works 11-hour days treats 1,200 people.