"You may wade through them without seeing them": general practitioners and their young patients with mental health problems.

OBJECTIVE

To gain insight into the management of children and adolescents with mental health problems by their GPs as the GPs describe it.

DESIGN

A qualitative analysis of data from focus group interviews with GPs.

SETTING

Western Coast of Norway.

SUBJECTS

A strategic sample of 19 GPs.

RESULTS

According to the informants psychosomatic and other internalizing disorders are the most frequent mental health problems in their practice. Their assessments were based on history taking, physical examination and acquired knowledge of development and prevalence of common health problems. Their interventions mostly consisted of parental counselling. Their assessments and interventions to a lesser extent relied on specific knowledge in child and adolescent psychiatry.

CONCLUSION

The interested GP is in a good position to provide services to these patients. They have the parents' trust, insight into family and local community, and essential general medical knowledge about management of mental health problems in this age group. There is need for mutual research and educational programmes between GPs and child and adolescent psychiatry to explore the interface between the fields.