Psychology's Role in Health in Canada: Reaction to Romanow and Marchildon.

Notwithstanding its high cost, the current Canadian health-care system provides Canadians with minimal access to publicly funded psychological services in spite of their demonstrated efficacy, comparative cost advantages, minimal risk of adverse treatment effects, and the public's preference for these services. Psychological services are now available not only for mental health problems but also for a wide range of physical health problems. A great deal of illness is preventable; population health research has illuminated the links between illness and risky individual behaviours, which are amenable to psychological intervention. These approaches have been shown to be effective in promoting health-enhancing behaviours that reduce morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, the primary focus of the present health-care system is on the increasingly expensive detection and treatment of disease, often with expensive equipment and pharmaceuticals, rather than on the prevention of illness and health promotion. We believe that the current Canadian health-care system is not sustainable in the long run in its present form. We urge governments to act to provide Canadians with greater access to psychological services and we urge psychology education and training programs to ensure that students are adequately prepared to assume a larger role in a reformed health-care system.