Definitions
Community psychiatry can be defined as providing psychiatric services to the patient within their community with the purpose to attain full social integration.
Community psychiatry means providing community mental health services to the persons and families with mental illness within the community using community resources and primary mental healthcare system.
The American Heritage Medical Dictionary defined community psychiatry as “ the psychiatry focusing on detection, prevention, early treatment and rehabilitation of emotional and behavioural disorders as they develop in a community.”
Key objectives of community psychiatry
- Community participation regarding the mental health care needs and requirements.
- Continuous and consistent care
- Improving access to care and proper treatment
- A collaborative and a person-centred approach to mental health awareness
- Enhancing the importance of mental health within public health
- Delivering evidence based treatments to patients
Preventing the occurrence of mental illness
- Primary prevention: Addressing factors which can lead to mental illness even before they manifest.
- Secondary prevention: Early detection and treatment of mental illness.
- Tertiary prevention: Rehabilitation and continuous support for people with mental illness.
Impact Indicators
The following impact indicators should be taken into consideration to access these services in taking care of mental health needs of the community in an appropriate way.
- Knowledge and awareness of mental health services
- Reducing stigma related to mental health illnesses
- Accepting the services in a right way
- Satisfaction of patient with the treatment provided
Types of community psychiatric services
- Community mental health centres
- Partial hospitalization programmes
- Case Management and Crisis intervention
- Psychiatric home care
- Assertive community treatment
- Psychiatric Rehabilitation
- Primary care integration
- Outpatient services
- Medication management
Various Barriers in Providing Community Mental Health Services:
- Inadequate participation of community in mental health services
- Integration of mental health into general health care is insufficient
- Weak relationship between mental health and proper social development
- Services are not available in certain areas
- No regular monitoring, research and evaluation
CONCLUSION
Community mental health teams consist of counselors, therapists, psychiatrists , certified nursing assistants, occupational therapists, social workers and psychologists.They take care and provide services for the emotional, psychological, social and physical needs of the patients. The main purpose of community’s mental health model is to provide all mental health and well-being related services within the community while protecting the human rights of mentally ill people.
Reference
Szmukler, G. , & Thornicroft, G. (2001). Textbook of Community Psychiatry. Oxford University Press.
Notes by: Chahat Kapoor
(This blog is to support students in writing their long answer on community psychiatry for their exam)
