Services for mental disorders

Services for mental disorders offer treatments, support or advocacy to people judged to have mental disorders (mental illnesses).

Family practice (general practice) centers in communities are commonly the first line for assessment of mental health conditions, and may prescribe psychiatric drugs and sometimes provide basic counseling or therapy for "common mental disorders". Secondary medical services may include psychiatric hospitals, although since deinstitutionalization these have been restricted in favor of wards within general hospitals, and community mental health services based more locally.

Such services may be provided on an inpatient or, more commonly, outpatient basis. They may offer a range of treatments, usually centered around psychiatric drugs, and be provided by a range of mental health professionals, notably psychiatrists and psychiatric and mental health nurses. Non-medical professionals may also be involved, such as clinical psychologists, social workers and various kinds of therapists or counselors. Usually headed by psychiatrists and therefore based on a medical model, multidisiplinary teams may be involved in assertive community treatment and early intervention, and may be coordinated via a case management system (sometimes referred to as "service coordination").