Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences

Table of Contents - June 2012 - Volume 21, Issue 02  

Editorials

Person-centred medicine and mental health

L. Salvador-Carullaa1 c1 and J. E. Mezzicha2

a1 Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia

a2 Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, New York, USA

This paper discusses an integrated approach to person-centred medicine and its role in the future of mental health care. The origins and current status of this emerging field are revised with special attention to the contributions made from psychiatry and to the implications for psychiatric diagnosis and evaluation of the three pillars of the Person-centred Integrative Diagnosis (PID) model: its conceptual domains (health status, experiences and contributors to ill and good health), the related evaluative procedures, the partnerships needed and the existing links and differences with people-centred care and personalised medicine. In spite of their striking complementarities person-centred medicine and personalised medicine do not yet have substantial bridges built between them. Knowledge transfer and coordination should be established between these two models which will cast medical evaluation and care in the upcoming future.

Key words

Correspondence:

c1 Address for correspondence: Luis Salvador-Carulla MD, PhD, Faculty of Health Sciences, 75 East St, Lidcombe NSW 2141, Australia. (Email: Luis.salvador@telefonica.net)