Christian Thomas Kelly

UWRT 1103
Mrs. Thomas
Mental Illness in General Health Care
Ustun, T.B., and Sartorius, N. Mental Illness in General Health Care. England: John Wiley and
Sons Ltd, 1995. (1-6). Print.
T.B. Ustun, an investigator for the World Health Organization, and N. Sartorius, a professor for
the University of Geneva, outlines that many questions exist regarding mental illnesses within
the realm of general health care. Ustun and Sartorius allude to a study that proves how prevalent
mental illnesses are in people who consult primary care services (Sartorius et al., 1990). The
breakdown provided highlights six questions geared to explain the overarching problem in
developed and/or underdeveloped/developing countries. First, studies have not been conducted
in underdeveloped countries to support the claim that mental illnesses exist in people who utilize
primary care services, thus, it is not possible to create a means of comparison. Second, the
studies centered on this point and performed in underdeveloped countries were conducted using
outdated means. Third, mental illnesses have not been researched through the perspective of
general health care. Fourth, the numbers of deaths from mental illnesses have not been
computed. Fifth, a point which has often been skipped over, the inconsistences in the sampling
methods from study to study creates for an inaccurate measure of the mental state of the
patients. Sixth and finally, a very small number of the studies conducted actually completed the
study to the finish. Overall, Ustun and Sartorius highlight that the number of studies conducted
within the context of general health care in developing and developed countries is very slim,

distinguishing the creation for a means of comparison between the number of individuals who
possess mental illnesses and consult primary care services (Ustun, T.B., and Sartorius, N.).
Credibility lies within this book due to the fact the World Health Organization conducted the
largest study focused on Psychological Problems in General Health Care. This study entailed
14 countries and involved 25,000 patients. Reliable instruments were also used to prevent
inaccurate measurements. The credibility of the editors is established because they worked with
the WHO and with professors who exemplify create knowledge, Professor J.A. Costa e Silva,
formerly Professor and Chairman of the Medical School, University of Rio de Janeiro, now the
Director of the new Division of Mental Health, who initiated the idea of the project (Ustun, T.B.,
and Sartorius, N.).
Other Quotes:
Is there a difference in the prevalence and form of mental disorders in general care among
countries of similar economic level but different sociocultural background?
Are there differences between countries in the proportions of those who have mental disorders
and who contact health services.
Studies of severe mental disorders indicate that their outcome in the developing countries is
better than in the industrialized world.
Analysis: This piece poses many questions which probe thought and make the piece easy to read
but challenging to comprehend at some points. It is not very applicable to my question but offers
a good perspective that may be useful somewhere in my inquiry piece. This is very helpful to
individuals who want to look at mental illness within a health care context.