ABSTRACT
For almost ten years I have been involved in research concerned with adolescent psychiatric disorder in primary care. I have become increasingly interested in the potential of primary care services to detect and manage distress and psychiatric disorder in adolescents. This interest led to thinking about what happens within the adolescent consultation, and about factors within adolescents, professionals and the health system which facilitate or impair this potential. Attendance at the Difficult Consultations with Adolescents project offered me a unique opportunity to learn about this process and to offer a psychiatrist’s perspective on the process.
