Mental Health for Primary Care

A Practical Guide for Non-Specialists

'This book gives a 'bottom-up', practical overview of mental health. I have distilled psychological, biological and sociological background material and siphoned off anything that is not relevant to primary care. I aim to demystify the management of common problems and empower the reader to have a more rewarding and fun time at work and a better ability to cope with the ever-increasing demand and challenge of dealing with multiple physical and mental health issues often brought by a single individual to a time-limited consultation' - Mark Morris.This book provides an up-to-date guide to mental health for primary care workers who are not experts in the field. It is logically structured, providing a clear overview of causal factors before presenting individual conditions in a diagnostic hierarchy. Particular attention is given to areas where there has been a deficit in understanding or training, along with problems that are most frequently encountered and managed in primary care. Meanwhile, a Psychological Tools section introduces solid practical frameworks for managing mental health problems developed from cognitive behaviour therapy, solution-focused and motivational interviewing techniques. A selection of resources for patients is also included. It includes foreword by: Andrew Polmear MA MSc FRCP FRCGP; Former General Practitioner and Senior Research Fellow, Academic Unit of Primary Care, The Trafford Centre, University of Sussex, September 2008.