The Role of the Family Physician in Mental Healthcare
Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the world for women and children (Chapa, 2014) Given the aforementioned information, one can easily appreciate why mental health issues are so common in the primary care setting.
In addition, approximately 60% of patients with a diagnosable mental health disorder seek treatment from their PCP, not a mental health professional (Girgis & Sanson-Fisher, 1998) and it is estimated that half of patients with a psychiatric disorder go undiagnosed by their PCP (Rosenbaum, Ferguson & Lobas, 2004).
There are estimates that about 40% of patients in treatment with a PCP at any particular time have a mental health or psycho-social component that must be addressed. Without question, family physicians need to be able recognize, diagnose and treat or triage, a host of other psychological issues seen in the office.
These authors (Rosenbaum et.al.) believe that the cognitive-behavioral model is the format of choice for this task. The challenge that the non-psychiartrist faces is to detect the mental health problem, which more often than not presents with a physical symptom, assess it, and come up with a management plan- perhaps in as little as 10 minutes.”
This is where Counseling on Demand comes in. We can team up with the PCP for the extended treatment which the patient may require.
We are online at CounselingonDemand.com
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