Facilitating understanding of mental health problems in GP consultations: a qualitative study using taped-assisted recall

Abstract

Background: Mental health problems are common in primary care and most are managed solely by the GP. Patients strive to understand their mental health problems, and facilitating patients' understanding may be important in their care, yet little is known about this process in GP consultations.

Aim: To explore how patients' understanding of common mental health problems is developed in GP consultations.

Design of study: Qualitative study.

Setting: Ten general practices in North Central London.

Method: Fourteen patients and their GPs were interviewed using the taped-assisted recall (TAR) method, and asked how understanding of the patients' mental health problems had been discussed in a recent consultation. The resulting 42 transcripts of the GP-patient consultations and separate GP and patient TAR interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic and process analytic methods.

Results: Patients considered understanding their mental health problems to be important, and half reported their GP consultations as helpful in this respect. The process of coming to an understanding was predominantly patient-led. Patients suggested their own explanations, and these were facilitated and focused by the doctors' questioning, listening, validating, and elaborating aspects they considered important. Both doctors and patients experienced constraints on the extent to which developing understanding of problems was possible in GP consultations.

Conclusion: GPs can help patients understand their mental health problems by recognising patients' own attempts at explanation and helping to shape and develop these.