The Efficiency of Mental Health Integration in Primary Health Care: A Ten-year Study

Objectives: this study was conducted on the estimation of the efficiencyof mental health program in primary health care in chaharmahaland bakhtyari province, situated in center of the islamic republic ofiran, from 1999 to 2009.methods: one of the important objectives of mental health program isscreening of mental health disorders and follow up. according to theprescription of mental health program, general practitioners (gps)were appointed to screen under-covered individuals, treat patients andalso follow-up the patients with mental health disorders who needsreferring to psychiatric clinics. diagnostic criteria of mental disorderswere based on american psychiatry association (dsm iv1994). patientswere categorized in four groups as follows: 1 - severe mentaldisorders, such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders,etc., 2 - mild mental disorders, such as neurosis, anxiety, etc., 3 - convulsivedisorders and 4 - behavioral disorders. the convulsive disordersand their types were diagnosed by physical examination and electroencephalography.in order to screen mental retardation, intelligencescale (iq) score < 70 was considered as mental retardation. during the10 years (1999 to 2009) of conducting program, all new diagnosedcases were confirmed by psychiatrists. all data was recorded in healthfiles by trained gps and they were assessed and justified by psychiatrists.results: during 10 years after conducting and stabilizing integratedmental health in primary health care, 13514 patients overall were newlydetected and followed. ten years incidence of total psychiatric disorderswas estimated in about 15.9 per 1000 populations.conclusions: integrated mental health care offers the opportunity toincrease access and develop efficiency of the mental health cares.