Lost together: Experiences of family physicians with emerging adult mental health.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions and experiences of FPs with emerging adult (EA) mental health to inform opportunities for improvement in EA mental health care.
DESIGN: Constructivist grounded theory methodology, including theoretical sampling and constant comparative analysis of data to synthesize results.
SETTING: Southwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty practising FPs.
METHODS: In-depth, semistructured, in-person interviews, which were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. MAIN
FINDINGS: Family physicians recognized the unique situation of EAs being between adolescence and adulthood, having heavy psychosocial needs, and lacking a connection to the health care system. Experience and confidence are needed to treat the EA population, but provision of mental health care to EAs is influenced by resources, knowledge, and communication. Family physicians noted that they are the default physician while EAs wait for specialized care, and are often the physicians that the patient is referred back to after specialized care. Often, the FP knows and treats the EA's entire family, which participants described as enabling them to understand the EA's unique context.
CONCLUSION: Family physicians and EAs are "lost together" in a fragmented health care system. Family physicians have the unique potential to assist EAs with their mental health needs, but that is not being actualized. Family physicians can support mental health outcomes for EAs through an improvement in knowledge and skills, and through forming family practice teams. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.