Integrate mental health into primary care to deliver better outcomes for the patients

A new position paper (subscription required) published by the American College of Physicians is focusing on the integration of mental health care into primary care in order to improve outcomes

Mental health disorders have been estimated to be a major burden by 2020 by WHO.  They are “linked to increased physical illness, higher mortality rates, poorer treatment outcomes and higher healthcare costs”.

Mental health conditions are not always properly diagnosed because of stigma and financial barriers such as insurance coverage gaps. These are the reasons behind the “call for the use of the primary care delivery platform and the related patient-centered medical home model to effectively address these conditions” as stated in the position paper. Health care providers will have to be trained to ask difficult questions, diagnose and treat these diseases.

Additional resources

Use data to challenge mental-health stigma – 2015 – Nature

Treat ‘whole person’ by bringing behavioral health into primary care: docs – 2015 – Reuters

The Global Burden of Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Disorders: An Analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 – 2015 – Harvey A. Whiteford

Global Burden of Neurological and Mental Disorders – 2014 – Brain Facts

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