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Integrated Primary Care - Mental Health Stigma Relief
Integrated primary care, otherwise known as interdisciplinary medicine, is the practice of diagnosing the patient with a combination of primary health care and psychiatric services without using "psychiatric" or "medical" as definitive distinctions. It aims to provide patients with maximum flexibility, taking into consideration their personal needs and goals, and creating a system that can grow alongside them. With this in mind, doctors who practice integrated primary care are expected to be skilled not only in the administration of the various medical services but also in understanding the patients' motivation for seeking out treatment. Psychologists and psychiatrists involved in integrated primary care work closely with the patients, often collaborating with them on their treatment plans and providing support from therapy. This collaboration allows integrated primary care to cultivate better communication between patients and doctors and medical staff.
The concept of integrated primary care started in Australia in the early 1990s. There, doctors and other health professionals working together created integrated primary medical care guidelines to ensure that patients with various illnesses receive the best possible care in the shortest time possible. Doctors and nurses involved in the process developed a set of common questions, or mnemonics, for patients to answer on their questionnaire. These questions included whether they had received psychiatric treatment within the past twelve months; whether they had ever been prescribed any medication affecting anxiety or depression; what type of psychologist or psychiatrist they saw frequently; and which areas of specialty they felt most comfortable with. These questions are meant to capture general patient characteristics, rather than specific medical conditions or symptoms, to allow doctors and other medical professionals to draw connections between the information and their own personal diagnostic evaluations.
Today, many other countries have incorporated these very same principles. In the United States, the National Institute of Mental Health has proposed a model called the MPI Intended Use Tool (MUG), which defines the basic concept of patient-centered medicine. According to this model, physicians use diagnostic questions to identify specific mental health needs and develop an integrated primary care approach that considers all available resources to provide the greatest benefit to the patient. Similarly, a clinical psychologist would use a similar questionnaire to determine patient characteristics associated with depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other disorders. The Mental Health integration specialist would then select several options for treatment.
In practice, many health conditions are treated together. For example, chiropractors, often treating spinal problems, may also prescribe treatments for anxiety or depression. Many patients, especially those with severe health conditions, do not see their chiropractor on a regular basis, so the health provider makes an educated judgment about these mental health conditions along with the patients' symptoms. When these conditions are combined, better care is provided and fewer health complications result.
The key for health care providers is to use diagnostic tools in conjunction with patient tools. This process also includes working with patients to develop realistic treatment plans. Although family medicine has been incorporating behavioral health methods for decades, it is just now starting to integrate these methods with traditional primary care. Family medicine and primary care providers have begun to examine their specific needs and develop a blueprint that will ensure patients receive the best care possible. Family doctors are also aware that, over time, many chronic health conditions will require specialty care, such as psychological counseling. Ensure that you find out more info in relation to mental health care now.
In fact, many patients opt out of psychologist-based treatments for depression or anxiety because they do not like the idea of sharing their problem with another person. In addition, there are concerns about confidentiality. As more behavioral health providers incorporate mental health services into their practice, patients no longer feel they are on their own. They know that their psychologist is not just another doctor with an office in a neighborhood corner. They know that if something does happen to them, they will be able to rely on their psychologist for help. For many patients, this feeling of reliance makes the integrated primary care model more attractive.If you probably want to get more enlightened on this topic, then click on this related post: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_disorder.