Integrated Behavioral Healthcare: A Guide To Effective Intervention

Integrated behavioural health care is a health-care service delivery system in which behavioural health care is co-ordinated with primary medical care. Unlike older approaches to patient care in which mental health professionals worked separately from medical professionals, integrated care recognises that many patients present to medical professionals with behavioural problems. For example, diabetics or persons suffering from chronic pain may experience depression. Thus patients often need some combination of both behavioural and medical treatment. Integrated care attempts to overcome the traditional division of care so that a co-ordinated, multidisciplinary approach is taken to provide more appropriate care for patients. In this comprehensive, step-by-step guide, a team of national experts in integrated behavioural health care discusses the economic, clinical, administrative, and procedural issues involved in designing, implementing, and maintaining a successful integrated care delivery system.