ABSTRACT
Severe Mental Illness registers have been established in virtually all general practices in Wirral as part of a strategy to raise the profile of this patient group. General Practitioners (GP) vary tremendously in their enthusiasm and ability in the subject. A GP experience will be influenced by where he or she practices; an inner city practitioner will inevitably have to deal with a larger psychiatric caseload than a colleague in a suburban or rural practice. GP are often criticised for prescribing sub-therapeutic doses of tricyclic antidepressants, and this would be more likely from a less experienced doctor. A GP has various options when presented with mental health problems. These are influenced by various factors, such as the GP's experience and knowledge and, also, by access to other resources such as psychiatrists, community psychiatric nurses, psychologists, counsellors and social workers.
