Financial incentives and disincentives for providing mental health care in general practice – a survey of nine European countries

Background/Objectives: It is evident from numerous studies that a high proportion of patients attending general practices suffer from mental health problems. Reasons for this probably include the easier geographical accessibility of primary care services, physical comorbidity, and patients’ fear of being stigmatised when contacting specialised psychiatric services. While training GPs in recognizing and managing mental disorders among their patients is an approach already well documented in the literature, little is known which incentives and disincentives, especially concerning the reimbursement procedures for a…