Barriers to Somatic Health Care for Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Belgium: A Qualitative Study of Patients' and Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives

There is an urgent need for integrated somatic and mental healthcare systems and a cultural change. Psychiatrists and primary care providers continue to consider the mental and physical health of their patients as mutually exclusive responsibilities due to a lack of sufficient training and experience, poor or absent liaison links, time constraints and organisational and financial barriers. Modifying these aspects will improve the quality of somatic health care for these vulnerable patients.