RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 General practitioner psychological management of common emotional problems (I): Definitions and literature review.
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP 313
OP 318
VO 50
IS 453
A1 J Cape
A1 C Barker
A1 M Buszewicz
A1 N Pistrang
YR 2000
UL http://bjgp.org/content/50/453/313.abstract
AB General practitioners' (GPs') treatment of patients with common emotional problems often includes some form of psychological management within the consultation. Such psychological management may be limited to listening and discussion or may also include more specific psychological approaches, such as use of counselling, problem-solving, or cognitive-behavioural techniques. This paper defines GP psychological management and reviews what is known about its frequency and effectiveness. MEDLINE and PsychLIT searches were undertaken of empirical studies of the psychological management of emotional problems by GPs in routine consultations published up to 1998. Thirty-six studies were identified. Most lacked details of the nature of the psychological management reported, making it difficult to compare studies. The frequency of use of psychological management by GPs was found to be generally less when rated by external observers than when assessed by GP self-report. There is preliminary evidence from a few studies of the clinical effectiveness of GP psychological management in routine consultations.