Mental healthcare in rural Greece: an overview

Abstract

This article summarizes the current state of mental healthcare delivery in rural areas in Greece. Mental health services for common mental disorders are provided by primary care physicians, whereas local community mental health centers (CMHCs) and the mobile mental health units (MMHUs) deliver services for all mental disorders, including the chronic and severe disorders. There are significant differences among rural mental health services with regard to the patients they treat, depending on local differences and other services’ availability. Their clinical work is noteworthy yet research on community mental health services in rural areas is scarce. Those services should be preserved and even expand for the coverage of the needs of special populations such as the elderly, children and adolescents and refugees. Rural community mental health services face challenges such as the increased demand for services, staffing and inadequate resources. These services are low-cost and their contribution to the promotion of mental health in rural areas may be important, still their cost-effectiveness should be assessed.