Linking general health and mental health systems of care: conceptual models of implementation.

Recent political and scientific developments have contributed to a growing recognition of the need to move mental health into the mainstream of general health service delivery. It is important to systematically approach the development of a range of conceptual models that could link these two systems. The author defines such linkage relationships in terms of three basic elements: contractual, functional, and educational. He describes six models and presents specific examples of each. He suggests the factors that should be examined to select the most effective model for a given context and presents future research needs in the field.