In much of the western world, distress and unhappiness are increasingly interpreted and diagnosed as 'mental illness'. A biomedical paradigm still prevails, in which medication is often the first and only treatment of choice. Funding models require formal medical diagnosis as the basis of treatment, with distressed people's problems being conceptualised as illness. This ignores or minimises the complex psychosocial determinants of health and the crucial impact of lifestyle factors on health and wellbeing.
In Australia antidepressant use is significant and increasing, with one in seven people using them (i.e. 14%; ~3.9 million people). Statistics indicate that women are prescribed at 1.5 times the rate of men, older adults (65+) are twice as likely to be prescribed and ~26% of those aged 75+ taking them. This represents one of the highest prescribing rates in the world, trailing only Iceland and the USA.
Primary care psychology provides an Integrated, multi-disciplinary model of care involving a collaborative approach where doctors and psychologists work together 'in situ'. Facilitating optimal, multi-faceted treatment for patients' frequently comorbid disorders, it enables early intervention and prevention in the general practice setting. By providing 'the right treatment, at the right time, in the right place', it avoids stigmatization of those seeking and accessing mental health interventions. It highlights the necessity of breaking down the counter-productive 'siloes of care' prevalent in the western world, which result in fragmentation of treatment and sub-optimal outcomes. A simple, accessible and effective way of treating complex presentations will be presented as an alternative.