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Barriers to the Treatment of Mental Illness in Primary Care Clinics in Israel

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Abstract

The present study examined physicians’ perceived barriers to the management of mental illness in primary care settings in Israel. Seven focus groups that included a total of 52 primary care Israeli physicians were conducted. Open coding analysis was employed, consisting of constant comparisons within and across interviews. Three major themes emerged: (a) barriers to the management of mental illness at the individual-level, (b) barriers to the management of mental illness at the system-level, and (c) the emotional ramifications that these barriers have on physicians. The findings highlight the parallelism between the experiences of primary care physicians and their patients. The findings also stress the need to attend to physicians’ emotional reactions when working with patients who suffer from mental illness and to better structure mental health treatment in primary care.

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Acknowledgment

The study was funded by The Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, 52900, Ramat Gan, Israel

    Liat Ayalon

  2. Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Khaled Karkabi

  3. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Khaled Karkabi & Margalit Goldfracht

  4. Medical Social Work Department, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Igor Bleichman

  5. Nursing Department, Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Silvia Fleischmann

  6. Community Division, Headquarters Clalit Health Services, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Margalit Goldfracht

Authors
  1. Liat Ayalon
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  2. Khaled Karkabi
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  3. Igor Bleichman
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  4. Silvia Fleischmann
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  5. Margalit Goldfracht
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liat Ayalon.

Additional information

“SSRI is for us not for the patients:” Barriers to the Treatment of Mental Illness in Primary Care Clinics.

Appendix: Interview Guide

Appendix: Interview Guide

  • Tell me your thoughts about depression and anxiety

  • How does the society in which you live perceive depression and anxiety?

  • What would you have done had you suffered from depression or anxiety?

  • What are some of the common ways to deal with depression and anxiety?

  • What are some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with using these various ways?

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Ayalon, L., Karkabi, K., Bleichman, I. et al. Barriers to the Treatment of Mental Illness in Primary Care Clinics in Israel. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 231–240 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0634-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0634-0

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