BIOGRAPHY

Professor Pete Ellis is Head of the Department of Psychological Medicine and Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of Otago, Wellington. He also works as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist for Capital and Coast Health. His current research interests include mental health service delivery, psychopharmacology and medical education.

---

ABSTRACT

Towards more integrated care - challenges in unexplained medical symptoms. Is it still all René’s fault?

Integrating physical and mental health care is increasingly recognized as a priority, requiring effective collaboration between primary and secondary care, and within secondary care services. This presentation explores a possible reason for this fragmentation and discusses the imperatives for it to be addressed, especially the considerably reduced life expectancy of those with a diagnosis of severe mental illness due to physical health problems and the extent to which diagnostic overshadowing contributes to this.

Medically unexplained symptoms (for want of a better term) are an area of considerable overlap between physical and mental health services. They often lead to frequent presentations, at considerable cost and dissatisfaction to service providers and patients alike. Brief guidance is offered on assessment and management. Integrated management and agreed primary leadership in providing continuity of care makes a major contribution to effective outcomes.

The following patient resource can be helpful:

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/medicallyunexplainedsymptoms.aspx

The following resource describes a service-wide approach:

Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) A whole systems approach. Commissioning Support for London NHS 2010

http://www.londonhp.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MUS-whole-systems-approach.pdf