Mental Health Consult takes on the issues of delivering mental health care in primary care settings

More than 68 million Americans have experienced a psychiatric or substance use disorder in the past year, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Yet there are fewer than 38,000 practicing psychiatrists in the United States. As a result, primary care physicians are increasingly expected to recognize emerging psychiatric disorders and determine how to manage their patients’ mental health needs. Pediatricians, internists, family physicians, and obstetrician-gynecologists are grappling with the challenges of integrating team-based care that combines the services of non-physician providers as well as psychiatrists for individuals with mental illness.

Mental Health Consult—a new multimedia collaboration from Clinical Psychiatry News, Internal Medicine News, Family Practice News, and Ob.Gyn. News–tackles the issues around new team approaches to providing mental health services to patients in primary care settings.

Using a case-based approach, physicians from George Washington University and their guest experts for each monthly segment of Mental Health Consult discuss approaches to diagnosis, management, and referral, as well as payment issues. Their 15-minute video roundtables are accompanied by background materials and a summary of key take-home points for managing similar primary care patients.

Starting in September, a print version of Mental Health Consult will appear in the relevant issues of Family Practice News, Internal Medicine News, Pediatric News, and Ob. Gyn. News.

Mental Health Consult is moderated by Lorenzo Norris, MD, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at George Washington University, Medical Director of Psychiatric & Behavioral Services at George Washington University Hospital, and Clinical Psychiatry News editorial advisory board member; and by Whitney McKnight, reporter for Frontline Medical News. You can find their cutting-edge discussions of new practice tools and emerging models of integrated mental health care at the publication Web sites. Here’s a link to a recent Mental Health Consult.