Should GPs receive mental health awareness training?
By Liz Lockhart
A common theme seems to run through the comments received from our readers. Whilst some are happy 
with the quality of care which they receive from their GPs when dealing with mental health problems, for many the reaction that they receive is unpredictable.
Many feel that their GP simply does not understand their condition and many have protracted waits for appropriate assessment and diagnosis. They then have to wait further to receive the treatment which they require.
The initial port of call for an individual who is suffering from poor mental health is generally their doctor’s surgery. Many have put off this visit for a long time and by the time they arrive at their surgery their condition can be one where the patient is feeing quite desperate, bewildered and even frightened.
It is at this point that many of their fears can be allayed if they meet with a GP who has an understanding of mental health. Unfortunately, all too often, there are reports that many people leave the surgery with little or no feeling of relief as they regularly feel that their doctor simply does not understand.
In a recent conversation which I had with a local doctor, I commented that with a figure of 1 in 4 of us suffering from a mental health disorder at any one time that represents a quarter of his daily workload. He replied that you can double that figure and still not be near the mark. His experiences tell him that the majority of patients that he sees in any one day have a condition which is directly related to poor mental health. As he pointed out, poor mental health impacts on physical health too.
Whilst having every sympathy for our overworked practitioners there are easy steps which could be taken to improve their understanding of mental health, thus making the lives of sufferers so much easier and, as a consequence, lighten their workload.
It would be folly to expect all GPs to become specialists in mental health but something simple such as making mental health awareness training mandatory could be a great start to solving this problem. This training could be given to both GPs and the surgery staff and could make a huge difference to a person who is experiencing poor mental health.
One of our readers told Mental Healthy that her GP had literally told her to pull herself together when she sought help for an anxiety disorder. Another reader wrote ‘my GP said that my depression was something that I had chosen to experience and that I need not suffer anymore if I chose not to’. This reaction, from the very people who are there to care for us, is unacceptable and, unfortunately, these two accounts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to similar experiences.
It is fundamentally necessary that all doctors are equipped with the skills to help those suffering from poor mental health. A GP who can recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health can play an integral role in supporting patients to manage their condition. Just a few minutes taken by a GP to talk to their patient on how best to deal with their illness can be the first step on the road to their recovery.
