General practitioners’ experiences of providing lifestyle advice to patients with depression: A qualitative focus group study

by Emma Astaire, Laura Jennings, Martina Khundakar, Sergio A. Silverio, Angela C. Flynn

Depression is an increasingly common mental health disorder in the UK, managed predominantly in the community by GPs. Emerging evidence suggests lifestyle medicine is a key component in the management of depression. We aimed to explore GPs’ experiences, attitudes, and challenges to providing lifestyle advice to patients with depression.

Focus groups were conducted virtually with UK GPs (May-July 2022). A topic guide facilitated the discussion and included questions on experiences, current practices, competence, challenges, and service provision. Data were analysed using template analysis.

‘Supporting Effective Conversations’; ‘Willing, but Blocked from Establishing Relational Care’; ‘Working Towards Patient Empowerment’; and ‘Control Over the Prognosis’ were all elements of how individualised lifestyle advice was key to the management of depression. Establishing a doctor-patient relationship by building trust and rapport was fundamental to having effective conversations about lifestyle behaviours. Empowering patients to make positive lifestyle changes required tailoring advice using a patient-centred approach. Confidence varied across participants, depending on education, experience, type of patient, and severity of depression.

GPs play an important role in managing depression using lifestyle medicine and a patient-centred approach. Organisational and educational changes are necessary to facilitate GPs in providing optimal care to patients with depression.