Primary care mental health workers - Bridging the gap

Imagine the scene. It's 10am; an overworked GP has already seen 15 patients walk through his door. His next patient is John, who sits down and begins to describe feeling low in mood, tearful and losing his appetite over the last month. He also talks about the loss of his wife six months ago. The doctor listens empathetically, exchanges a few words and ten minutes later John walks out of his room with a prescription for a course of antidepressants and is asked to come back in two weeks for a review.

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