START DATE AND DURATION: September 2020Mental health concerns contribute to the burden of disease worldwide and are related to the development of other medical illnesses. They are a significant element of the GP’s workload. 90% of common mental health problems are managed in primary care (Carver and Jones, 2013). Thus many patients with common mental health concerns receive help from their GP, but little is known about whether, when and how help is actually requested and provided.
The overall aim of my PhD is to investigate how common mental health concerns are raised and discussed in primary care interactions and to develop outputs for facilitating this discussion. The project is divided into three different parts: a narrative review (1), a conversation analysis (2), and a co-production event (3). The aims of the different parts are:
- To review existing primary care literature and identify any gaps focusing on the discussion of common mental health concerns (specifically depression, anxiety, and stress) using recorded interactions.
- To explore how common mental health concerns are raised and discussed in primary care interactions and identify patterns using conversation analysis.
- To present and discuss my findings and co-create outputs with the participants (GPs and patients with lived experience) that can be used for future guidance or recommendations.
