Editorial: Primary care psychiatry in Pakistan: Issues and challenges

The awareness campaign theme for this year s World Mental Health Day 2009 is Mental Health in Primary care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health, which goes a long way in establishing the due credence of primary care psychiatry. Definition of primary care has been given as: Primary care is the provision of integrated, accessible health care services by clinicians who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health-care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. Primary care is expected to be a long-term relationship between a person and their doctor. Provision of mental health care through primary health care is popularly dubbed as primary care psychiatry.