Modern medical trends speak of the need for an integrated approach to diagnosing and treating diseases. This approach shall include the assessment of both somatic and psychic health due to their mutual influence on the occurrence of a particular pathology and the functioning of the body as a whole. However, in medical care, there is a long-standing problem of disunity between psychiatry and general medicine. Patients are afraid of stigmatization or do not realize the impact of mental state on overall well-being, so they prefer to go to a polyclinic with varied complaints. The therapist’s work becomes more difficult due to the lack of necessary qualifications to work with mental disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To share the experience of deinstitutionalizing mental health services gained in 2014 at Psychoneurological Dispensary no. 1 of the Vasileostrovsky district of St. Petersburg during the opening of medical, social, and psychological care offices in several general somatic institutions.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The efficiency of medical, social, and psychological care offices was analyzed based on data obtained from the federal statistical observation forms no. 10 and 30 using descriptive statistics methods: calculation of extensive and intensive coefficients and time series indicators. For clarity purposes, we compared the indicators of outpatient visits to a psychiatrist, primary and general incidence, frequency of hospitalizations, number of cases of temporary disability, and duration of one case due to mental disorders in the Vasileostrovsky district, St. Petersburg, the Northwestern Federal District, and the Russian Federation.
RESULTS
From 2013 till early 2022, the performance indicators of Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 1 changed dramatically without a significant increase in staffing levels of district psychiatrists. The number of outpatient visits increased by 52.4%, the incidence by 83.5%, the incidence of mental disorders by 35.5%, the number of cases of temporary disability by 112.5%, and the average duration of one temporary disability case reduced by 77.6%.
CONCLUSIONS
The local experience obtained during the opening of medical, social, and psychological care offices in 2014 clearly demonstrates the benefits of teamwork between somatic medicine and psychiatry, indicating increased accessibility and decreased stigma of psychiatry. This is relevant today due to the mandatory organization of medical and psychological counseling offices in polyclinics from July 1, 2023.
