PHCC expands Integrated Older Adult Psychiatry services

Doha: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has announced the expansion of its Integrated Older Adult Psychiatry services to include Al Mashaf Health...

Doha: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has announced the expansion of its Integrated Older Adult Psychiatry services to include Al Mashaf Health Center, yesterday. 

Patients can now access mental support clinic services through referrals from their family physicians or psychiatrists, ensuring a coordinated and holistic approach to mental health care.

PHCC has established referral criteria for the Integrated Older Adult Psychiatry clinics, targeting patients aged 65 and above, those who are mobile or can attend the clinic with mobility aids, and individuals with a significant or chronic stable mental health disorder, such as depression, bipolar affective disorder, anxiety, sleep disorders, schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, obsessions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dementia, and patients with cognitive impairment who also suffer from mental illnesses.

Patients excluded from these clinics include those with acute medical or psychiatric conditions requiring emergency intervention, such as delirium or suicidal thoughts, and those presenting predominantly with memory problems or dementia that could otherwise be more suitable for Memory Clinic.

Additionally, patients who are bedbound, housebound, or have mobility issues that require ambulance transport to their appointments are also excluded.