Practice report of collaborative care in depression treatment

─ Intervention in patient behavior by clinical psychologists ─

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that collaborative care is useful in integrating psychiatric and primary health care. However, no study has investigated collaborative care in Japan. The present study reports on collaborative care practice in Japan using two case studies. In collaborative care, a case manager provides behavioral intervention to the patient and supports the depression medication treatment initiated by primary care physicians. Clinical psychologists supervised the case manager and provided telephonic intervention. The psychiatrist supervised the case managers periodically. We reported the collaborative care practice using two cases of patients who reported anxiety related to medication and its side effects. Finally, we considered the support provided by collaborative care managers.