World mental health day 2013 "Mental health of older adults"

N World Mental Health Day 2013 theme is "Mental health and older adults"

Mental, behavioral and neurological disorders are common in all countries around the world, causing immense agony and staggering economic and social costs. People with any disorder are mostly subjected to an isolated social life, poor life quality and higher death rates.

Mental Health – Global Priority

Mental health is increasingly endorsed as a significant aspect in terms of the overall well-being of the individual. In 1999 World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10, had been dedicated to “Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health”. Mental health issues are a global priority and it is imperative to address issues pertaining to it at the earliest and in an effective and efficacious manner.

Integration of Mental Health into the Primary Care Setting

This day encourages more transparent discussion of illnesses, and investments in prevention and treatment services. WHO’s calculations for 2002 states that 154 million people across the world suffer from depression.

The World Health Organization has identified following 7 reasons for including mental health into the primitive care structure:

The burden of mental disorders is immense. They create a substantial personal burden for affected persons and their families, and they create magnificent economic and social hardships that affect the society entirely.

The treatment gap for mental disorders is huge. There is a substantial gap between the prevalence of mental disorders and the quantity of people undergoing treatment.

Mental and physical health issues are interlinked. Integrated primary care services affirm that people are provided with the fair treatment.

When mental health is clubbed with primary care, people can get mental health services close to vicinity. It also enhances mental health promotion and community outreach.

Primitive care for mental health attention is less expensive for patients, communities and governments alike.

Primary care for mental health dignifies respect of human rights.

Primary care for mental health asserts good health outcomes specifically when collaborate with anetwork of services at secondary stage and in the community.

Inclusion of mental health within the primitive care system can yield more fruitful results in following manners:

Diagnosing for mental disorders results in improved patient outcomes only when appropriate care detection is followed.

Increasing referrals to behavioral health provider specialist with added supports may lead to enhance follow-through and outcomes.

Imparting Physician education.

Care needs to be streamlined and based at evidence-based approaches.

Meanwhile it is imperative to ensure that there are clearly defined principles and steps regarding the line of treatment that should be offered to the general practitioners and primary care workers. Following the initial treatment by primary workers further referrals for complex mental health issues can be sent to psychiatrists and psychologists with specialization.