Primary Care Settings: AHRQ Report
New data indicate that mental health may improve with treatment in primary care settings.
A new report, released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and cofunded by SAMHSA and other Federal agencies, found evidence that people treated for depression in primary care clinics have fewer symptoms than patients who are treated at sites that provide only mental health services.
These primary care clinics all provided a coordinated set of mental and physical health services. Patients treated in specialty mental health centers appear to benefit when the facilities also offer general medical care.
The report, Integration of Mental Health/Substance Abuse and Primary Care, provides answers to a set of research questions. They include:
- What are the barriers to successful integration and how are they overcome?
- To what extent does the outcome of integrated programs vary for different populations (e.g., specific mental health problems, racial and ethnic groups, older adults or youth)?
- What are the key elements of programs that have been successfully sustained in large health systems?
To read the full report, visit www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/mhsapctp.htm. For more information on mental health, visit SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services at www.samhsa.gov.
