The interphase between family medicine and mental health

Abstract

DeGruy (1996) stated that “it is fundamentally wrong to speak of mental health as if it is distinct from physical health or health in general”. Generally speaking, and across the world, primary care clinicians deal with mental symptoms as part of a larger more general problem and conversely mentally distressed patients often present with increased physical symptoms. However, and more so within Malta, whilst most patients with common mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, alcohol dependence) attend their general practitioner (GP) for help, the more severe and enduring end of the psychiatric spectrum is largely addressed by specialist services, with GPs acting largely only as conduits for referral (McDaid, 2013).