Using successful models of care to guide the teaching of psychiatry in primary care.

The focus of efforts to improve primary care physicians' recognition and treatment of psychiatric conditions has been on enhancing the content of their education, with little attention paid to the choice of models through which the content is delivered. The authors believe that existing models of primary care delivery are analogous to Strain's six basic models of teaching psychiatry to primary care physicians. Each model is especially suited to a particular segment of the primary care physician's education; for example, the consultation model has relevance for teaching about better management of identified patients and the bridge model for enhancing recognition of unrecognized disorders. All six models have a place in both education and practice.