| Abstract: | Minor mental disorders are common among patients who visit theirgeneral practitioner. In the Netherlands, they are associatedwith high costs due to absenteeism, disability benefits andmedical consumption (consumption of drugs as well as expenditureof medical staff’s time). In the Netherlands, a protocolwas developed for the treatment of minor mental disorders, basedon the principles of brief cognitive behaviour therapy. Thecost-effectiveness of this protocol was tested in a group ofpatients whose minor mental disorders had lead to sickness absence.The protocol was completed by Dutch social workers, one of whosecore tasks normally is to provide psychosocial care. The mainaims of the protocol are for the patient to regain functionalityand to prevent long-term disability. The protocol emphasizespatients’ own responsibility and active role in the recoveryprocess, includes homework assignments and stresses the importanceof early work resumption. This article focuses on a discussionof the feasibility of this treatment for minor mental disorders.The evidence for or against the protocol’s cost-effectivenesswill be discussed in future papers. The results show that patients,social workers and general practitioners were motivated to participateand that the protocol was well received by all three groups.If the treatment also proves to be cost-effective, it wouldappear to be a promising intervention for a frequently encounteredproblem in primary care. |
