Volume 4 Issue 1 January, 2014
Mental Health Care in Primary Care Setting: Moving Towards Integration.
Mental health care in primary care has been defined as “the provision of basic preventive and curative mental health care at the first point of contact of entry into the health care system.” Mental disorders are prevalent in all societies. They create a substantial personal burden for affected individuals and their families, and they produce significant economic and social hardships that affect society as a whole. Despite the potential to successfully treat mental disorders, only a small minority of those in need receive even the most basic treatment at the level of first contact viz the primary health care services. A key recommendation of the World Health Organization is that treatment should be based in primary care.
The rationale for integration of mental health care into other health care platforms includes improving access to mental health care; providing patient-centered care; avoiding fragmentation of health services; reducing stigma; optimizing both mental health and physical health outcomes; and overall health system strengthening. Integration is most successful when mental health is incorporated into health policy and legislative frameworks and supported by senior leadership, adequate resources, and ongoing governance. To be fully effective and efficient, primary care for mental health must be coordinated with a network of services at different levels of care and complemented by broader health system development.
