New website to help clinicians integrate physical and mental healthcare

Four royal colleges have launched a new website giving health professionals easy access to clinical resources to support the provision of integrated physical and mental health care.

A strong body of evidence shows that mental illness is associated with poor physical health. People with mental illness die on average 5-10 years younger than the general population, and people with medical unexplained symptoms account for around 20% of new presentations in primary care. Yet it can be hard for clinicians to find the right information to help them address these issues. The Improving Physical & Mental Health site signposts users to high quality information.

The site has four main sections:

• Medically unexplained symptoms
• Long term conditions
• Children and young adults
• Physical health in adults