A Review of Mental Health Approaches for Rural Communities: Complexities and Opportunities in the Canadian Context

Three mental health approaches with potential relevance to rural Canada were reviewed: telepsychiatry, integrated mental health models, and community-based approaches. These approaches have been evaluated in relation to their cost-effectiveness, comprehensiveness, client-centredness, cultural appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility and fidelity; criteria that may vary amidst rural contexts. Collaborative approaches to care, technologies fully integrated into local health systems, multi-sectoral capacity-building, and further engagement with informal social support networks may be particularly promising strategies in rural communities. More research is required to determine rural mental health pathways among diverse social groups, and further, to establish the acceptability of novel approaches in mental health.