Integrating mental health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that globally, more than 150 million people today suffer from depression. The WHO further estimates that mental, neurological, and substance use disorders account for 14% of the global burden of disease. In Singapore, major depressive disorders (MDD) is the most common psychiatric disorder. One in 16 people in Singapore have suffered from MDD at some point in their lifetime [1]. While the knowledge base for integrating care for persons afflicted with chronic diseases and the frail elderly increases exponentially, it seems less obvious in the literature on integrating care for persons suffering from chronic mental illnesses. There have been numerous published reports and papers on the increasing global burden of mental illnesses, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to pronounce that psychiatric diseases will become the main cause of morbidity in the developed world in the not-too-distant future. A number of developed nations have already established excellent mental health programmes which address issues concerning access to appropriate and timely acute medical treatment, to crisis management, and longterm (residential and home-based) care. While this is a step in the right direction, there is still a gap in our understanding of how best to integrate mental health programmes and services with the “mainstream” physical healthcare delivery system. It is also a wellknown fact that anywhere between 20% and 40% of patients suffering from chronic medical diseases (e.g. diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic renal failure, etc.) have also concommitent depression (clinical or sub-clinical). There is also increasing evidence that dementia is becoming a more prevalent cause of significant morbidity, especially amongst the frail elderly. All these point to the pressing need to integrate mental health services. The big question is how best to do so in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Lastly, the important role of the care-giver should not be forgotten and the need for adequate and on-going support and respite for these persons

Depression (economics · Disease · Disease burden · Family medicine · Health care · Mainstream · Major depressive disorder · Management of depression · Mental health · Mood · Primary care · Psychiatry · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access

• Co-Leadership – A Management Solution for Integrated Health and Social Care

  Open Access•Charlotte Klinga, Johan Hansson et al.•International Journal of…•2016

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• An evaluation of mental health service provision in Northern Ireland

  Open Access•Lorna Montgomery, George Wilson et al.•Health & Social Care in the…•2018

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