The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development Strategy

Christensen, Helen

Griffiths, Kathleen

Kljakovic, Marjan

Wells, Leanne

The Australian National University

 AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE RESEARCH INSTITUTE      MODELS OF MENTAL HEALTH DELIVERY: EFFICACY, SUPPORT  AND POLICY  Christensen HGriffiths K Wells L  Kljakovic M  POLICY CONTEXT  Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders often managed in primary health care and community settings. The primary health care sector in Australia is facing a number of challenges in managing mental health care - the big five - quality, access, continuity, cost and workforce, are major issues. This review shows a number of primary health care approaches ‘work’ in reducing symptoms of depression, including approaches within general practice settings and in community organisations.  KEY FINDINGS: Successful community interventions include direct approaches through: • early intervention programs in schools  • the Internet • school-based clinics  Within general practice, the core components of effective practice are care management and enhanced care. In Australia, through the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care (BOMHC) initiative, the shared care between GPs and allied health professionals (AHPs) involves a structured care plan delivered by the GP, delivery of focused psychological strategies by an Allied Health Professional and review by the GP at a point in the cycle of care.  The review found that the BOMHC Allied Health initiative is associated with reported good outcomes but low retention, the cause(s) of which are not well understood. We conclude that the care-management component of mental health delivery in this initiative may need to be optimised. Many of the successful interventions in primary care focus on the importance of the patient or consumer playing an active role in treatment or early intervention.  Evidence indicates that GP training alone is a relatively ineffective strategy to reduce depression in consumers. For more details, go to the three page report   The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development Strategy. The information and opinions contained in it do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.   

Models of mental health delivery: efficacy, support and policy

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The Australian National University