Lack of mental well-being in 15-year-olds: an undisclosed iceberg?

Abstract

Fifteen-year-olds rarely consult their GP about their emotional well-being, yet, with the GHQ-12, the self-reported rate of psychiatric morbidity was nearly seven times greater than that suggested by these same subjects' medical records. Although the majority of adolescents consult their GP throughout the course of a year, those with mental health problems, including those who attempt suicide, are indistinguishable in the frequency of their GP consultations from adolescents without mental health problems.