Why this guide is needed

It is now understood that adolescence and early adulthood is the peak age of onset for mental health problems and the period when there is a need for initial care¹. Poor mental health is closely related to many other health and social concerns for young people, including educational achievements, employment, relationships, and substance use².

Promoting good mental health and preventing mental health problems in young people is therefore an issue of considerable significance, in terms of both public health and social wellbeing.

General practice continues to be the place where most mental health problems are identified and treated – it is the key setting for mental health support across all age ranges³.

However, we know that many mental health problems continue to go undiagnosed in primary care settings,⁴ and that young people experience a range of barriers to accessing mental health support in primary care⁵.

Services are often not designed or delivered in ways that young people wish to engage with, and the fear of being stigmatised for having a mental health problem is also a major factor in young people’s decisions not to access help from mainstream services⁶.

This guide has been designed to help GPs and other primary care practitioners develop practice that is ‘young-person friendly’, and better identify and address the mental health needs of the young people who come to see them.