ABSTRACT
The need for family doctors in the UK to receive training in mental health skills has been well documented (Horder 1983; Pullen et al. 1994). About 40 per cent of British general practitioners (GPs) train formally in a psychiatric post as part of the two years of specialist attachment in their training (Pereira Gray 1994) but the training needs of future GPs are quite different from those of psychiatrists. Failure to recognise and meet these needs has resulted in low satisfaction with psychiatric attachments in some GP training schemes (Kelly and Murray 1991; Turton et al. 1995). Some training in psychiatry occurs during the year-long training attachment to general practice. The extent of this varies from post to post, and depends on the nature of the practice, the interest of the GP trainer and the skills and knowledge of the local GP vocational training course leader.
