Issues Faced by General Practitioners in Managing Mental Health Disorders in Basic Health Units: a Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the main issues faced by general practitioners when managing mental health disorders in the primary care setting and evaluate their interest in continued medical training on mental health. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional survey which included general practitioners (n=94) working in primary care in São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil. Results: Participants reported challenging issues to be as follows: psychiatric emergency (44.7%), alcohol and drug use disorders (35.1%), psychopharmacology (29.9%), and suicide risk assessment (27.6%). About a third of the sample reported a lack of knowledge on criteria regarding referral to psychiatric services. Almost the entire sample reported the need for better interaction between general practitioners and psychiatrists and interest in continued medical training. Conclusions: Our findings support the evidence that a network between general practitioners and psychiatrists is needed as well as the improvement of continued medical training on mental health.