TY - JOUR KW - Brazil KW - Education, Medical, Continuing KW - Family Practice/education KW - Focus Groups KW - Humans KW - Mental Disorders/diagnosis/therapy KW - Physicians, Family/education KW - Primary Health Care AU - D. A. Ballester AU - A. P. Filippon AU - C. Braga AU - S. B. Andreoli A1 - AB - CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Within the context of primary health care and mental disorders, our aim was to study the opinions of general practitioners regarding attendance of people with mental health problems. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative focal group study among primary care services in the cities of Porto Alegre and Parobe, State of Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS: A deliberately selected sample of 41 general practitioners who were working in basic health services met in focal groups. Two videos were presented, which simulated consultations for patients with depression and psychoses. The discussions about the identification and handling of mental health problems were recorded and assessed via content analysis. RESULTS: The opinions related to the difficulties of diagnosing and treating mental problems, the involvement of relatives in caring for patients, the difficulty of compliance with the treatment, the uncertainty experienced by physicians and the difficulty of referring patients to specialized services. CONCLUSIONS: The general practitioners indicated that they perceived the mental health problems among their clientele, but the diagnosis and treatment of these problems are still seen as a task for specialists. The challenge of continuing education on mental health requires methods of interactive and critical teaching, such as the problem-based approach. BT - Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina C5 - Education & Workforce CP - 2 CY - Brazil DO - 10.1590/s1516-31802005000200008 IS - 2 JF - Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina N2 - CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Within the context of primary health care and mental disorders, our aim was to study the opinions of general practitioners regarding attendance of people with mental health problems. DESIGN AND SETTING: Qualitative focal group study among primary care services in the cities of Porto Alegre and Parobe, State of Rio Grande do Sul. METHODS: A deliberately selected sample of 41 general practitioners who were working in basic health services met in focal groups. Two videos were presented, which simulated consultations for patients with depression and psychoses. The discussions about the identification and handling of mental health problems were recorded and assessed via content analysis. RESULTS: The opinions related to the difficulties of diagnosing and treating mental problems, the involvement of relatives in caring for patients, the difficulty of compliance with the treatment, the uncertainty experienced by physicians and the difficulty of referring patients to specialized services. CONCLUSIONS: The general practitioners indicated that they perceived the mental health problems among their clientele, but the diagnosis and treatment of these problems are still seen as a task for specialists. The challenge of continuing education on mental health requires methods of interactive and critical teaching, such as the problem-based approach. PP - Brazil PY - 2005 SN - 1516-3180; 1516-3180 SP - 72 EP - 76 EP - T1 - The general practitioner and mental health problems: Challenges and strategies for medical education T2 - Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina TI - The general practitioner and mental health problems: Challenges and strategies for medical education U1 - Education & Workforce U2 - 15947834 U3 - 10.1590/s1516-31802005000200008 VL - 123 VO - 1516-3180; 1516-3180 Y1 - 2005 ER -