ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies that the basic knowledge and skills that healthcare practitioners must have in order to adequately address common mental health concerns that are seen in primary care. It provides a general overview of mental illness and discusses the rationale for incorporating mental healthcare into primary care, and list strategies for the identification and treatment of common mental health issues by the multiple health practitioners involved in primary care. For medical management, benzodiazepines can be used for alcohol withdrawal and agonists/antagonists for opiate withdrawal. Mental illness refers to a set of defined syndromes or clusters of symptoms involving an individual's emotional state, behavior, and physical well-being and functioning. Treatment of depression, alcohol dependence, and anxiety can improve physical and mental symptoms, reduce the use of ambulatory and hospital services, and help to improve functional outcomes. Different mental illnesses pose different challenges to healthcare practitioners.
