Psychiatry: three models in search of a future

Should we train psychiatrists as primary care providers?

The author discusses the proposition that psychiatrists would be appropriate primary physicians for specific types of patients. The author reviews the arguments for and against psychiatrists as primary care providers, proposes questions that must be addressed in training for such a role, and describes current models of primary care education and practice for psychiatrists. The author believes that primary care may be an appropriate career track within psychiatry and suggests that the development of family medicine may provide useful guidance in incorporating primary care functions into psychiatry.