When doctors listen: counseling patterns of nonpsychiatrist physicians

Recent work has shown that nonpsychiatrist physicians are surprisingly active in the mental health arena. Using the two most recent National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (1980-1981), the authors analyzed the provision of counseling services by general medical physicians in more detail. Office visits involving counseling were a third again as long as the average office visit (20 minutes versus 15) and involved notably more diagnostic and therapeutic services. Although patients who received counseling services from nonpsychiatrist physicians were generally not mentally ill, about one in eight did have a psychiatric diagnosis and might have been better served in the mental health sector.