Psychological Management by Family Physicians.

Psychological Management by Family Physicians.

Olfson Mark; Weissman Myrna M; Leon Andrew C; Higgins Edmund S; Barrett James E; Blacklow Robert S

Journal of Family Practice

1995

1995-12

This article examines self-reports of psychological interventions to patients with mental health problems by family physicians. Primary care patients completed a mental health screening form immediately prior to their medical visit. Results were withheld from their seven respective physicians. Following the visit, the physicians were asked to classify the range of psychological interventions they used to manage their patients' emotional problems during the visit. Considerable attention has been devoted to the role of primary care physicians in the provision of ambulatory mental health care. Interest in this area has been fueled by the observation that more patients with mental disorders are cared for in the general medical sector than in the mental health sector. According to a national survey, family physicians report using some type of psychological intervention in roughly two thirds of the patients who they believe have a significant psychiatric disorder. This therapy consists almost exclusively of supportive problem solving, advice, and reassurance rather than formal psychotherapy.

MENTAL health; MENTAL illness; FAMILY medicine; PHYSICIANS (General practice); PATHOLOGICAL psychology; PSYCHOTHERAPY

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

543–550

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