[Tackling mental health problems from primary care: relationship with specialized support services].
OBJECTIVE
To find the relationship between primary care (PC) and mental health (MH) by evaluating: 1) perception of MH problems in PC: training of professionals and doctor-patient relationship, and 2) relationship between PC and specialist support services: coordination meetings and reasons for referrals.


METHODS
Descriptive study.


METHODS
Seven PC centres that share the same mental health centre in the Girona Health Region.


METHODS
All the PC doctors from the 7 centres (n = 66).


RESULTS
Specific, anonymous and self-administered survey, with 71 Likert-type items, distributed in 14 fields. 51 replies (77.2%). 60.4% valued positively their MH training. 100% thought that a good doctor-patient relationship improves adherence to treatment, and 76.5% saw this hindered by lack of time. Aggressive and manipulative patients caused a higher level of tension (70.6% and 66.7%). The point most highly valued of their relationship with the MH centre was its support in patient follow-up (69.6%) and the agreement to share responsibilities for treatment of mental disorders (71.1%). The forms of support most valued were: inter-clinical meetings (80.4%) and inter-clinic telephone consultations (78.4%). The factors most conditioning referral to the MH centre were ideas of suicide (96.1%) and the seriousness of the symptoms (94%).


CONCLUSIONS
Greater MH training should be offered to PC doctors. PC doctors think they have little time available to devote to their psychiatric patients. Availability of a specialist PC support team is essential.
Beltran Vilella
M
M
CAP Maluquer Salvador. Unidad Docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria de Girona. mbeltranv@papps.org
Salleras Marcó
N
N
Camps García
C
C
Solanas Saura
P
P
Igual Massalles
E
E
García-Oria
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013030:Spain