This review explores the literature related to career choice of psychiatry in Brazil through selection of scientific articles published in the period from 1999 to 2013 in the MEDLINE and SciELO databases. There are currently 145 medical schools in Brazil, the highest concentration being in the more developed areas. In 2005, there were 6,003 psychiatrists working in Brazil, a rate of 3.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 inhabitants, with unequal distribution across the geographical regions of the country: a rate of 4.5 psychiatrists/100,000 inhabitants in the southern region, and less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 inhabitants in the northern region. The south and south-east regions comprise 56% of the national population and 76% of the residency posts in psychiatry. In 2013, 27% of the residency posts in psychiatry were not filled, particularly in the north and north-east areas, where the shortage of professionals is more pronounced. The number of specialized doctors is far below what is needed to cover the burden attributed to neuropsychiatric disorders in the country. The main hypotheses to explain this imbalance in Brazil are the relatively low exposure to the speciality during undergraduate course work, the stigma attached to mental disorders, and the poor organization of mental healthcare services.