Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine - General Practice: The Integrative Approach Series

The most common psychiatric disorders presenting to General Practitioners are depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, and alcohol abuse and dependence. The prognoses of anxiety, depression and psychotic disorders are all improved by early detection and intervention, and so the GP’s role is pivotal in improving the level of functioning and quality of life of their patients. The GP is uniquely positioned to assess psychiatric symptoms, because they will have often seen a patient over an extended timeframe and so will have access to information about the patient and their premorbid functioning.