Why doctors become the first stop for mental health – and what comes to

While the demand for mental health care continues on its upward trend, many Americans rely on someone they already trust for support: their doctor. Research that my company has discovered that almost 1 in 5 people are now looking for mental health support with a primary care doctor while Gallup recently reported that seven out of 10 Americans want a health supplier to ask questions about their physical and mental health problems. It is a sign of growing recognition of the link between physical and mental health, but also a tense system. With cost differences, access and insurance towards people to take care of unresolved environments for complex emotional needs, it is time to set up collaborative models that meet patients where they are, and connect them to the support they really need.

As a former emergency doctor and urgent care, I saw first -hand how the challenges of mental health are surface in medical environments. Often quietly, like problems of fatigue, pain, stress or sleep. And now, as CEO of a national mental health supplier, I see how our system continues to travel emotional distress in places where it is not designed to be treated.

It is not a burden on primary care should not bear alone. This is an opportunity to strengthen the link between mental health providers and health professionals and build a model of care that reflects the way people are really looking for help.

Health care limits at a door

Primary care physicians are already impossible. During an average visit, they should tackle complex physical problems, preventive care, projections, prescriptions, etc., all in about 20 minutes. The superposition of mental health support in addition to this, in particular for patients dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma or relational distress, extends both in time and training.

It is not a blow on primary care, it is a structural reality. Mental health care requires more than brief assessments or occasional prescriptions. It requires time, clinical depth and continuity; Things that even the most capable PCPs cannot always provide isolated.

The result is that patients do not receive the depth of the support they need, and doctors remain management conditions that should be managed by expert mental health professionals. This creates frustration on both sides of the examination room and worse, it delays or derails access to effective treatment.

Collaborative care is the model – if we invest in it

An approach to fill the gap between physical and mental health care is the model of collaborative care (COCM). He sees mental health professionals integrated into primary care areas and medical regimes such as kidney disease, heart disease and cancer, so that these patients can more easily be connected to the right type of support. COCM encourages a team type approach to the health of the whole person and includes cases management to support therapy and social problems such as food insecurity and lack of transport as well as clinical support of therapists and drug managers who work together with doctors and their team. Starting with a simple reference during a regular assessment, the result is to bring people to the help they need, when they need it before finding themselves in crisis.

When done, COCM improves clinical results, reduces symptoms and even reduces overall health care costs. However, despite its promise, the implementation remains incoherent, often due to the lack of reimbursement, infrastructure or accessible mental health partners.

Mental health professionals do not need to replace primary care – they must complete it. The objective is not to withdraw the doctors from the equation, but to support them with specialized care in a timely manner that facilitate their charge and meet the entire spectrum of patient needs.

The challenges increase

While more people express their desire to seek mental health support, many are always faced with long waiting lists, challenges of affordability and limited availability of providers. This gap reflects both a cultural change in the opening and a continuous failure of the access design.

When formal support for behavioral health is not available, default people what is familiar: a doctor they trust. It is understandable. But that is also why we must respond to this request with better paths, no more pressure on primary care.

The right care team, at the right time, can change everything. But we cannot expect the doctors in our country to bring the weight of a parallel mental health system. They already make it more than are.

As health systems, payers and suppliers, we have collective responsibility to fill this care gap, not by moving the burden, but by sharing it.

This means:

• Expand reimbursement models for collaborative care
• Invest in a digital infrastructure that allows timely references and coordination
• Prioritize partnerships between primary care and behavioral health providers
• Ensure access to affordable and quality mental health care

Primary care physicians are often the first to hear a patient say: “I have trouble.” The question is: what happens next?

Make sure the answer is not a silence or a waiting list. Make sure this is the start of real support.

Photo credit: Alexei Morozov, Getty Images

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