King's College London

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, and Duke University School of Medicine, North Carolina, examined 350 million Norwegian patient visits to their primary care doctors, and found that mental health concerns are the second most common complaint, coming closely behind musculoskeletal issues.

The research, published in Nature Mental Health, examined more than a decade’s worth of primary care visits to general practioners (GPs). The researchers argue that the number of people seeking assistance for their mental health means that mental health professionals should be better integrated into primary care.

Researchers analysed data recorded by the Norwegian government, examining the available records of more than 350 million primary care visits by 4.8 million people between January 2006 to December 2019.

40m (11.7 per cent) encounters were to report mental health concerns, with similar numbers coming in with infections, respiratory and cardiovascular complaints, and more than were reporting pain, injuries, metabolic, digestive, skin, urological, reproductive or sensory issues.

Professor Avshalom Caspi, from King's IoPPN and Duke University, and the study’s first author said, “Primary care physicians are often the gatekeepers to the wider healthcare system. As I look at all this, I'm just staggered by the complexity of the mental health issues primary care physicians are having to contend with on a daily basis.”

The researchers also noted that, while the majority of appointments were for depression and anxiety, the list of conditions processed by frontline staff were “diverse and complicated”.

Professor Caspi continued, “Depression, sleep disturbance, stress and anxiety, memory problems and substance abuse led the list. But concerns also included ADHD, learning problems, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, sexual issues, psychosis and suicidal thoughts.”

Professor Terrie Moffitt, from King’s IoPPN and Duke University and one of the study’s authors said, “While this is a Norwegian data set, there are still conclusions that we can draw for the treatment of mental health in the UK and wider world."

"GPs have always been health generalists, requiring a broad range of knowledge to properly triage patients on to the next appropriate stage of care. With mental health conditions on the rise, it is vital not only that UK GPs have the confidence and knowledge to provide the right care, but also that that care is already integrated into the system so that it is close at hand when needed.”

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