Integrating mental and physical health care: lessons from the Second World Congress on Integrated Care in Sydney (editorial)

On November 23–25th 2014, the International Foundation for Integrated Care and the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, hosted the Second World Congress on Integrated Care in Sydney, Australia [1, 2]. A key theme of the conference was the integration of physical and mental health care. This is a topic which is replete with memorable slogans such as “no health without mental health”, “the contributing life”, “parity for mental health care” and the simple statement “living well”. Each suggests in some way that people with mental health problems may not be treated well in health and social care systems when compared with those with equally debilitating physical symptoms. The phrase “Social and Emotional Wellbeing” is used by Aboriginal and Indigenous peoples and implies a sense of harmony with oneself, ones community and indeed the land. This is much more that the control or absence of symptoms.