Royal College of General Practitioners, British Journal of General Practice, p. BJGP.2021.0335, 2021
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Background: There is an increasing demand for mental health support in primary care, especially for young people. To improve mental health support for young people in general practice (GP), the needs of young people must be considered. Aim: To explore the experiences of young people (aged 12-25) on receiving mental health care in general practice and identify the needs of young people who present for mental health concerns. Design and Setting: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Method: Six databases were searched for literature relating to young people’s experiences of receiving mental health care in general practice. Additional handsearching and manual internet searching were conducted. Narrative synthesis was employed. Results: Five studies and a further two reports from manual internet searching were included for synthesis. The synthesis generated four themes: the centrality of a trusting relationship; showing empathy and taking concerns seriously; providing time to talk; and reducing barriers to accessing primary care mental health support. Conclusion: To enable high-quality and effective mental health consultations with young people and the development of trust, GPs require unhurried consultations, and the ability to maintain continuity of care.