Fragmento

Until relatively recently it seemed clear what the answer about the priorities for mental health programmes should be. Often quoted they include the formulation of explicit government policies about mental health, the enactment or modernization of mental health laws, the development of community mental health, the provision of care to the mentally ill by general health care workers and the treatment of the severely mentally ill in their homes. The choice of these priorities was rational and followed the principles of overall development in which the maximal utilization of available resources had been given a place of pride. Since governments have to develop policies before they can act in a coherent and rational way, why not put a maximum of emphasis on the development of positive and progressive policies concerning mental health care? Since the number of highly qualified mental health specialists is small and unlikely to grow sufficiently to make them look after people with mental illness, why not give the general practitioners and other non-mental health specialists the necessary training so that they can take on the tasks of diagnosing and treating mental illness as they do with other illnesses?

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2008-07-31   |   999 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 31 Núm.3. Mayo-Junio 2008 Pags. 169-171 Salud Ment 2008; 31(3)