How do general practitioners manage subjects with early schizophrenia and collaborate with mental health professionals?
OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to explore how general practitioners (GPs) manage subjects with early psychosis and collaborate with psychiatrists in the care of such patients. METHODS: Survey questionnaires exploring practice in patients with early psychosis were mailed to all GPs in South-Western France (n=3,829). RESULTS: The response rate was 23.6%. Half of GPs responding to the survey had actually diagnosed a possible case of schizophrenia during the previous year. In such cases, the most frequent decision was to refer the patient to a psychiatrist, despite the difficulties of convincing the patient and obtaining a rapid referral. According to GPs’ answers, the relationships between primary care and the mental health team were characterised by a lack of communication: less than one out of three GPs had regular contact with a mental health team, and a large majority reported that they never or rarely had information about the diagnosis and treatment of subjects referred for ear
