[Talking therapy as part of the general practitioner's normal working day]

The vast majority of patients with mental disorders are treated in general practice. In Denmark, GPs have received a special payment for delivering >>talking therapy<< since 1995. However, it has not been described how this service should be used. Reports from the Danish Psychiatric Society and the Danish College of General Practitioners are paving the way for greater involvement of GPs in psychotherapy. The aim of the study was to investigate how GPs perceive that talking therapy could fit into their day-to-day efforts in the clinic.

This is a qualitative study which is based on interviews with Danish GPs. The analysis was based on interpretative phenomenological analysis.

GPs organized talking therapy very differently and offered it to different extents. The context and conditions differed greatly from those of the secondary health care system, as the treatment was always an extension of a pre-existing doctor-patient relationship. Therapy was only offered if the communication between GP and patient was good beforehand. Talking therapy would not be delivered if the GPs' time conditions did not allow this, and when time was insufficient it was always the emotional area that was forfeited.

The introduction of a psychological thinking to the standardised theoretical curriculum of general practice should be considered. There is a need for research into talking therapy and quality-assured training and supervision of GPs.