ABSTRACT
The problems of availability and accessibility of mental health services faced in rural areas are high, and the impact of mental health disorders in these areas is great. Integrating mental healthcare with primary healthcare will ensure that people have easy access to these services with assurance that these services are rendered to people at affordable prices and in a way acceptable to them. Depression can be substantially managed with low-cost anti-depressants and psychological interventions. Anti-psychotics may be made available at cost-effective basis suited for populations of all types. Primary care physicians (PCPs) can play an important role in this. Telepsychiatry has potential and is a great solution for the problem of people being under-diagnosed with mental illness and the scarcity of trained health professionals at the root levels of a healthcare setting. Large-scale mental health awareness programs can be undertaken for the masses.
