Integrating Mental Health Services into Family Medicine Practices: Opportunities and Challenge

Abstract

Moamen Abdelfadil Ismail*, Renad Ibrahim Mohammed Aloqayli, Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed Asiri, Ahmed Hamed Basheer Alsulami, Ghadah Saleh Mohammed Alnajdi, Mohammed Dakhilallah Dhawi Algethami, Dalia DakheelAllah Dhawi Algthami, Raghda Iseemr Alreheli, Manea Saleh Muneer Alosaimi, Alwalied Abdulhaleem Hafez, Mai Algethami, Ali Mahfoudh Alzidany

Background: Mental health disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet access to timely and effective care remains inadequate. Integrating mental health services into family medicine practices has emerged as a promising approach to address these gaps by leveraging the accessibility and continuity of primary care.

Objectives: To evaluate the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating mental health services into family medicine practices, synthesizing evidence from cross-sectional, prospective, retrospective, and casecontrol studies.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligible studies included peerreviewed articles published between 1997 and 2025, involving adult and pediatric populations, and reporting quantitative or qualitative outcomes related to mental health service integration in family medicine. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar. Data extraction included study design, sample characteristics, integration model, outcomes, and key findings.

Results: Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, encompassing a range of integration models such as co-location, collaborative care, and tele-mental health. Integrated approaches were associated with improved patient symptom management, higher provider satisfaction, and enhanced care coordination (e.g., Bryan & Morrow, 2009; Balasubramanian et al., 2017; McGovern et al., 2018). Barriers included inadequate training, financing challenges, and infrastructure limitations (Kilbourne et al., 2008; Liang et al., 2018). Telehealth emerged as both an opportunity and a challenge, expanding access while requiring significant technological investment (Amerio et al., 2020; Hoffmann et al., 2019).

Conclusions: Integrating mental health into family medicine offers substantial benefits but requires systemic, financial, and educational reforms to achieve sustainable implementation. Future research should focus on cost-effectiveness, cultural adaptation, and scalability in low-resource settings