As this is a time of great change in Romanian psychiatry we considered it was useful to analyze the availability of various types of psychotherapy and the commitment of psychiatry residents to psychotherapy training, comparing with data from 1998.

Same protocol study like in 1998 was used. The data from National Centre for Medical Training were analyzed. We examined the total number of residents undergoing psychotherapy training, year of residency and the type of psychotherapy they chose.

In 2009, there are 726 psychiatry residents in Romania (180 in 1998) distributed in 11 (6 in 1998) university training centres. We registered a response rate of 81.8% (77.7% in 1998), and only 30.13% residents are involved/ in a specific psychotherapy training comparing with 48.5% in 1998. The types of psychotherapy were: cognitive behavioural therapy, positive psychotherapy, transactional analysis, psychoanalysis, psychodrama, hypnosis, existential psychotherapy.

Even though training in psychotherapy is included in curricula like compulsory topic since 2007, the availability of psychotherapeutic training for residents is still restricted, due to high costs, the need to self-finance the training, organizational difficulties and low number of training centres and trainers.

The brain drain of psychiatrists is considered as a mental health care damaging phenomenon in low- and middle-income countries. Albania currently has one of the world's highest emigration rates, relative to its population and a total emigrant population of more than 1.25 millions in 2014. More than 50% of the lecturers and researchers in Albania left the country during 1991–2005. Nevertheless, the data on healthcare workers migration is very limited.

Assessing the migration profile and migratory trends of psychiatry trainees in Albania as part of EFPT Brain Drain study in Europe.

Data collection was accomplished by an anonymous online survey and hard-copy questionnaire in University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa”, to all psychiatric residents in Psychiatric Clinic in Tirana, during May–October 2013.

More than 2/3 respondents are very dissatisfied with their income but the main reasons for leaving the country are personal and family composition. A minority did have a short term or long term experience abroad respectively 8,3% and 16.7% during which 50% of them considered to have the same opportunities as the locals. A total of 66% of residents consider leaving the country after the residency training.

Losing large numbers of skilled psychiatrists contributes to decreasing of quality of mental health services. Since it can be considered “brain waste” in terms of a loss of investment into human resource development, Albania needs to establish policies to promote returnees.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.