Mental illness: a major public healthcare burden

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Mental health services should be an integral part of primary healthcare, according to Dr Jorge Alberto Costa e Silva, Director of the WHO Mental Health Division. He was commenting on WHO research ^* that showed that just under one-quarter of all patients contacting primary care physicians were experiencing mental distress such as depression or anxiety. The major highlights of the international collaborative study were discussed at a WHO press conference [ Paris, France; March 1995 ]