Improving primary mental health care: long term effects
This article studies the effects of a number of measures to support general practitioners in providing primary mental health care: have these measures caused improvements and have previous effects continued? Results of a baseline questionnaire to evaluate the program in 2001 are compared with two follow-up questionnaires in 2003 and 2005. In 2001, 2003 and 2005 1336, 1359 and 729 general practitioners, respectively, filled in and returned the questionnaire. General practitioners’ experience is that, from 2001 onwards, increased support by secondary mental health care, in particular support by primary health care psychiatric nurses, has lightened their workload in this field. General practitioners are more positive about collaboration with primary care psychologists and remain positive about collaboration with secondary mental health care. General practitioners attend fewer courses about mental health issues. The number of referrals within primary mental health care and to secondary mental health care remains unchanged. It seems that general practitioners prefer to invest in close collaboration with mental health workers, rather than to invest in providing mental health care themselves.