Primary health care psychiatry

Abstract

Much needs to be done to improve psychiatric care in SouthAfrica. Resources need to be developed, particularly in ruralareas, and psychiatric services need to be better integratedinto primary health care services. This process will include theintensive training of mental health care workers. If we look at thetraining of primary care physicians, their rotation during the 2-yearinternship falls short in psychiatry. It is not seen as a mainstreamrotation point like disciplines such as surgery or internal medicine.This fact, as well as a more student-centred approach andemphasis on self-learning in medical curricula, make the searchfor an appropriate prescribed textbook in psychiatry an importantissue.