See also:
Mental Health, Parity in Coverage for Patients
Mental Health Care Services by Family Physicians (Position Paper)
Mental Health, Physician Responsibility
Family physicians have traditionally focused on treating the whole patient, and recognize the mind, body and spirit connection. Promotion of mental health, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the individual and family context are integral components of family medicine.
Family physicians are uniquely positioned to recognize and treat problems in the continuum from mental health to mental illness. Through residency training and continuing medical education family physicians are prepared to manage mental health problems in children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. The continuity of care inherent in most family medicine settings makes early recognition of problems possible. Treating family members allows better recognition of problems as well as intervention in the family system. Family physicians are able to treat those individuals who would not access traditional mental health services because of the perceived stigma of mental illness. Consultation with and referral to other specialties as appropriate is a part of family medicine in regard to mental health/illness as it is in all other areas of patient care.
New understanding of mental illness as "brain disorders" with demonstrable neurochemical causes or correlates, better pharmacologic treatments, and recent emphasis on brief therapeutic interventions combine to make treatment of mental illness in the family physicians' office even more practical and appropriate.
Family physicians should support appropriate public mental health policy, and when possible support and coordinate with other organizations to promote better mental health services for those with mental illness. These efforts should include prevention of mortality through early intervention and appropriate and timely treatment, and prevention of mortality through careful use of medications and suicide prevention. (1982) (2007)
Family physicians are uniquely positioned to recognize and treat problems in the continuum from mental health to mental illness. Through residency training and continuing medical education family physicians are prepared to manage mental health problems in children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. The continuity of care inherent in most family medicine settings makes early recognition of problems possible. Treating family members allows better recognition of problems as well as intervention in the family system. Family physicians are able to treat those individuals who would not access traditional mental health services because of the perceived stigma of mental illness. Consultation with and referral to other specialties as appropriate is a part of family medicine in regard to mental health/illness as it is in all other areas of patient care.
New understanding of mental illness as "brain disorders" with demonstrable neurochemical causes or correlates, better pharmacologic treatments, and recent emphasis on brief therapeutic interventions combine to make treatment of mental illness in the family physicians' office even more practical and appropriate.
Family physicians should support appropriate public mental health policy, and when possible support and coordinate with other organizations to promote better mental health services for those with mental illness. These efforts should include prevention of mortality through early intervention and appropriate and timely treatment, and prevention of mortality through careful use of medications and suicide prevention. (1982) (2007)