Medically Oriented Psychiatry: An Approach to Improving the Quality of Mental Health Care

To assure the consumer of the highest quality costeffective mental health care, the author argues for the use of a proper "medical model" when care is delivered. He also argues that psychiatrists must deal with the whole person—both his psyche and his soma. The author discusses the role of the medically oriented psychiatrist, and presents a case study that demonstrates the interplay between a patient's psyche and soma. In addition, he introduces a four-step principle, to be incorporated into all health insurance plans, that will ensure that a patient's physical and psychological problems will be dealt with together and that he will receive quality health care.