Abstract
South Africa is an interesting country from which to explore questions about psychiatry in general and psychosomatic medicine in particular. This is partly because of its unique history - including the transition from apartheid to democracy, and partly because of its ongoing diversity. This chapter provides a brief history relevant to a consideration of psychosomatic medicine, before going to consider key theoretical debates that are important locally, as well as services, research, and training in psychosomatic medicine. We argue that psychosomatic medicine can play a key role in thinking through much needed transformation of health services in the resource-constrained context of a low- and middle-income country, given its emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and collaborative care models.
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Thomas, E., Hoare, J., Stein, D.J. (2019). Psychosomatic Medicine in South Africa: Concepts and Practices in a Low-and Middle-Income Country. In: Leigh, H. (eds) Global Psychosomatic Medicine and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12584-4_22
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